Will Beaufort County residents get to see the suspected Chinese spy balloon in our airspace?

Will Beaufort County residents see the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was spotted flying over the central United States Thursday?

The balloon’s projected flight path has it heading toward the Southeast and flying over Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas before heading over the Atlantic Ocean. In the Carolinas, the balloon is projected to fly closer to North Carolina than South.

This likely means that Beaufort County residents won’t see the balloon as it makes it way eastward. The balloon flew over the S.C. upstate and Western N.C. and was then spotted over Charlotte Saturday morning.

Anyone wanting to catch a glimpse of the balloon would have a better chance in the border area of the Carolinas.

The balloon was first spotted over Montana, home to one of the nation’s three nuclear missile silo fields. U.S officials have recommended against shooting down the balloon, which is flying “well above” commercial airline altitudes, over concerns of falling debris injuring people on the ground.

It’s expected that winds will push the balloon out of U.S. airspace and into the ocean.

A Chinese foreign ministry official told CNN the balloon’s entering of U.S. airspace was an accident Friday, saying, “It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes.”

Last year, President Joe Biden declared China “America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge.” The presence of the balloon will make for a tense meeting when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits China.

Blinken’s visit has been postponed due to the presence of the balloon.

This story was originally published February 4, 2023 at 11:15 AM.