Pilots have reported seeing a “large white balloon” on their radars east of Hawaii on Sunday afternoon.
A number of reports indicate the object was sighted over Honolulu, according to The Sun.
It comes days after US officials claimed a Chinese “spy” balloon headed for Hawaii had gone off course.
Some social media posts report how a “large white balloon” was spotted by pilots at about 50,000 feet.
However, air traffic control and other US officials have yet to confirm such reports, with the identity of the object and the potential threat it poses to the public unknown.
Pilots were reportedly told to keep an eye out for another large white balloon off the coast of Hawaii on Sunday
Air traffic control sent out instructions urging pilots to report sightings of the balloon
The balloon was reportedly sighted about 600 miles northeast of Hawaii on Sunday afternoon
A large white balloon was sighted 524 nautical miles northeast of Honolulu on Sunday afternoon
It comes after recent claims by US officials that a Chinese “spy” balloon aimed at Hawaii went off course (file photo earlier this month).
An image posted online to social media shows a pilot in the cockpit holding a note.
“Report of a large white balloon near 2639N15021W. Estimated between FL400 and FL500. Exact height unknown. Notify ATC when object is seen.”
The Oakland Oceanic Air Traffic Control Center confirmed the craft’s existence, which reported the balloon was about 600 miles northeast of Honolulu over the Pacific Ocean.
The US military shot down several balloons earlier this month, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon on February 4 off the coast of South Carolina.
Since February 4, four objects have been shot down, including the Chinese spy balloon, and then three “UFOs”.
Another balloon was launched over Alaska last week. A map of the hobby balloon’s predicted path shows that it was heading for the spot where the UFO was shot down
On February 4, a much larger balloon — thought to be a Chinese spy balloon (pictured) — was shot down off the coast of South Carolina
US Navy shows Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recovering a high altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recovered a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina earlier this month
The remains of the downed balloon from earlier this month are being packed away for examination
On Thursday, Joe Biden said the US is updating its guidelines for surveillance and response to unidentified airborne objects after the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon transiting the country sparked high-stakes drama.
It saw the US launch of that balloon off the coast of South Carolina and three smaller days later.
Biden said officials suspect the three subsequent balloons were ordinary balloons, which could mean they were used for research, weather, recreational or commercial purposes.
Officials were unable to recover any of the remains of those three balloons, and late Friday the US military announced it had completed searching for the objects that were found near Deadhorse on February 10 and 12 , Alaska, and over Lake Huron.
President Joe Biden said there was no evidence of a rise in mystery balloons when addressing the nation on Thursday. “We’re just seeing more of them now,” he said
“The U.S. military, federal agencies and Canadian partners conducted systematic searches of each area using a variety of avenues, including aerial imagery and sensors, surface sensors and inspections, and underground scans, and found no debris,” officials said Friday.
In the South Carolina incident, the US military has said it believes it has collected all of the Chinese balloon’s priority sensors and electronics, as well as much of its structure.
The balloon, which Beijing denies being a government spy ship, flew over the United States and Canada for a week before being shot down off the Atlantic coast on Biden’s orders.