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The Chinese spy balloon that floated across the United States last week before being shot down off the South Carolina coast was equipped with antennas and other intelligence-gathering materials.
A senior State Department official said Thursday that the balloon also carried large solar panels capable of running various intelligence-collection sensors, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The latest US assessment contradicts China’s official claims that the balloon was part of a civilian meteorological research project.
The balloon saga began when the Pentagon confirmed that the device had entered US airspace on Feb. 2.
The Defense Department says the balloon was first detected over Alaska in late January.
