US senators to propose legislation to mandate balloon tracking

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Two senators are introducing legislation Wednesday to mandate tracking systems on high-altitude weather and research balloons to help the US military differentiate between potential threats.

Senators Mark Kelly, a Democrat, and Republican Ted Budd will introduce legislation seeking to ensure balloons operating in US airspace can be identified, they said in a statement to Reuters. The issue drew new attention after US fighter jets shot down a Chinese balloon and three other objects last month.

The legislation would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue regulations within two years mandating equipping high-altitude balloons operating at 10,000 feet above sea level or higher with tracking systems to transmit altitude, identity, and location.

Kelly, who previously served as a US Navy pilot and NASA astronaut, said "at a time when our adversaries are using hostile surveillance tactics, there is no reason why our country should have to wonder whether an object in our airspace is a threat, weather balloon, or science project."

Budd, who is a pilot, said in a statement "the recent shoot down of a Chinese spy balloon that traversed the skies over our country for more than a week highlights the immediate need for the FAA to re-evaluate how we track objects flying over American airspace."

The legislation would require the FAA to work with the International Civil Aviation Organization to develop equivalent standards for high-altitude balloons worldwide and direct the agency to create a committee to propose recommendations to update existing regulations.

The United States says the Chinese balloon was used for surveillance purposes. China said it was a civilian airship used for meteorological purposes, and that it was accidentally blown off course into US airspace.

President Joe Biden tasked national security adviser Jake Sullivan with presiding over a task force of various agencies including the FAA to propose guidelines on how to address unidentified objects going forward.