The Carolinas has quite a Saturday afternoon.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) closed airspace and issued a ground stop at three airports in North and South Carolina on Saturday afternoon in order to "support the Department of Defense in a national security effort."
The balloon, which was first seen in Montana earlier in the week, was spotted in South Carolina, leading the FAA to issue the ground stop.
The ground stop lasted over an hour at Myrtle Beach International Airport, Charleston International Airport and Wilmington International Airport.
The balloon was later shot down by U.S. fighter jets on Saturday afternoon, U.S. officials told CBS News.
Videos were making the round on social media:
China confirmed the balloon was from Beijing and blew off course, however, they claim it is a civilian device that is "used for scientific research such as meteorology."
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