What type of object was shot down over Alaska?

Just days after the Department of Defense took out a Chinese balloon over the Atlantic, another high-flying object was spotted and downed this afternoon.

So far, the US military has not released many details about the object’s origin, use, or purpose.

What do we know about the object?

John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said that the small object, no larger than a car, was tracked flying at 40,000 feet. The altitude overlaps with those reached by commercial and passenger aircraft, which led the military to determine it posed a “reasonable risk to civilian flight.”

The object was shot down over Alaskan waters, which are currently frozen.

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What type of object was it?

While Kibry also mentioned that the Defense Department began tracking the object yesterday, he said they waited for it to enter US airspace before taking it down.

Before shooting the object down, US military officials confirmed that the object was unmanned, and Kibry reported that the operation did not lead to any casualties. The object’s owner remains unknown. Kirby clarified that the Pentagon has not determined if a private organization or another country owned the object. More information on the object’s origin will be available later this afternoon.

When was the object down?

According to Kirby, US Northern Command fighter jets assigned to shoot down the object did so around 2:30 p.m. ET. Like the Chinese balloon, there will be a mission to recover the wreckage to understand the purpose and origin of the object.