Shutterstock / Ed Weiner
NORAD's monitoring of the UFO comes a month after the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon (pictured above.)
NORAD dispatched an array of jets, including a KC-135 tanker and an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft, to meet the object after it was picked up on radar, the blog reported. At that point, the object was flying westbound toward the Gulf of Mexico.
In a statement, NORAD officials said the object was "likely a hobbyist pico balloon" that posed no immediate threat to Texans or the U.S. Pico balloons are small balloons made of mylar often used by hobbyists because they're inexpensive but can hit altitudes of more than 32,000 feet.
"NORAD will continue to track and monitor the object, and in close coordination with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, to ensure continued flight safety," according to the statement.
In February, the Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon detected in U.S. skies, ratcheting up tensions between the superpowers. Military aircraft downed a second balloon days later off the West Coast of Alaska. Some have speculated that balloon belonging to a hobbyist group in Illinois.
Following the February incidents, President Joe Biden addressed the nation, calling on officials to introduce "sharper rules" for dealing with UFOs detected in U.S. airspace.
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