Concerned residents of Northern Norway reported seeing what was described on Sunday as a “gigantic” balloon flying over areas from Træna, Gildeskål and Bodø to Bardufoss farther north. Both Bodø and Bardufoss are home to large Norwegian defense operations, but officials could quickly confirm that the balloon isn’t part of any foreign espionage operation.
Instead it was launched by the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden. It’s a so-called NASA BOOMS balloon, used to study x-ray waves in the Arctic atmosphere. Results can be used in research projects.
The balloon can fly around 46 kilometers above the earth and its destination is in North America, according to a press release from the space center.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
