The Navy Recovered the Alleged Chinese Spy Balloon. Here’s What the U.S. Hopes to Learn

The U.S. Navy has recovered the remains of the alleged Chinese spy balloon after it was shot down over the weekend, according to images released Tuesday. Authorities are still searching for the payload that it was carrying.

The photos show sailors on a boat off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Sunday. The deflated balloon covers part of the boat and some trails on the water.

U.S. officials said they are looking for hazardous materials that could be used for batteries or explosives, General Glen VanHerck, commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said.

The White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said Monday that there is also a broader aim to provide greater clarity on the surveillance capabilities that the balloons have, as well as China’s intentions with the balloon program amid reports that other balloons may have previously entered U.S. airspace.

The military shot down the balloon Saturday with a missile fired from an F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet. The Pentagon waited several days before shooting it down to avoid possibly injuring people on the ground with falling debris.

The Chinese balloon had been flying at about 60,000 feet over parts of the U.S., including Montana, Idaho and Missouri. U.S. officials said that it did not pose a military threat but did acknowledge that its flight path “carried it over a number of sensitive sites.” Montana—for example—is home to the U.S. military’s land-based, nuclear-tipped Minuteman III missile fields.

The Chinese government has pushed back against allegations that the balloon was intended to surveil the U.S. and said that its purpose was for weather research.

The U.S. will focus on learning more about the purpose of the balloon, which was assessed to be 200 feet tall. VanHerck compared the size of the payload underneath to the size of a “regional jet.”

“Picture yourself with large debris weighing hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds falling out of the sky,” VanHerck told reporters Monday.