BREAKING: The suspected Chinese spy balloon that has been drifting across the United States since Thursday has been shot down.
The Federal Aviation Administration closed the airspace andIn this photo provided by Brian Branch, a large balloon drifts above the Kingstown, N.C. area, with an airplane and its contrail seen below it. Chinese officials have denied that the balloon is meant for surveillance, saying in a statement on Friday that it is a civilian device used for scientific research that was blown off-course by unexpected winds.
Defense officials previously told CBS News that the surveillance equipment attached to the balloon was the size of two to three school buses.
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