U.S. President Joe Biden ordered fighter jets to shoot down an unidentified object flying at 40,000 feet (12,200 meters) over Alaska on Friday, less than a week after the U.S. downed a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that flew across the United States.
U.S. officials offered few details about the origin of the object, which entered U.S. airspace on Thursday, but said it was about the size of a car and did not appear to have the ability to maneuver.
"We're calling this an object, because that's the best description we have. We do not know who owns it, whether it's state-owned or corporate-owned or privately owned," U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. "We don't understand the full purpose."