US tracking balloon spotted off coast of Hawaii

The U.S. government is tracking another unmanned balloon that was spotted Friday flying over Hawaii, officials said.

No action was taken against the balloon because it posed no threat to civilian aircraft or people on the ground, a Defense Department spokesman said.

The balloon was floating at about 36,000 feet, the altitude at which some commercial aircraft fly. NBC News and CBS News also reported the balloon detection.

“Ownership of the balloon is unknown, but there is no indication that it was maneuvering or being controlled by a foreign or adversarial actor,” a Pentagon spokesperson said in the statement. “Although it was flying at an altitude used by civil aviation, it posed no threat to civil aviation over Hawaii.”

It also posed no threat to people on the ground and did not fly over defense infrastructure or government “sensitive” sites, the Pentagon said.