Did USAF Shoot Down a Hobbyist Club Balloon?

The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade says it cannot confirm fate of ‘missing’ balloon.

Jonathan Welsh

Friday, February 17, 2023 at 05:24 PM ET

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Bill Brown with Skytracker device attached to a mylar balloon, ready for launch. [Courtesy: Bill Brown]

Key Takeaways:

Attention surrounding recent airborne object downings has shifted from a Chinese spy balloon to hobbyist pico balloons, with speculation that one such craft, the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade's (NIBBB) K9YO balloon, may have been shot down after it went missing near Alaska.
NIBBB denies definitive proof that their balloon was involved, noting that contact loss is common for their long-distance amateur radio and scientific tracking projects, and that their balloon had already circumnavigated the globe six times.
President Biden's plan to improve tracking and update regulations for unmanned objects has raised concerns among hobbyists that new rules could limit pico ballooning, a long-standing and STEM-valuable activity that has historically operated legally under FAA regulations.

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Attention surrounding the downing of four airborne objects by the U.S. military this month has turned from an alleged Chinese spy balloon to smaller scientific balloons launched by hobbyists, students and enthusiasts.

One such object, a so-called pico balloon transmitting a call sign of K9YO and belonging to the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade (NIBBB), might be among the craft recently destroyed by Air Force fighters. The balloon club reported on its blog that it has not heard from the balloon since February 11, when it was drifting near Alaska.