US officials reported they had followed the flight path of the Chinese balloon that passed over Alaska, Canada and parts of the continental US from the time it took off, originally on a trajectory that would take it near Guam and Hawaii, but the craft got blown off course by prevailing winds, ending up over the Aleutian Islands.
Per Reuters, the US military tracked the balloon launch from a location off the southern coast of China, Hainan Island. The craft headed due east before getting caught in northerly winds. After passing through Canada, it floated over Montana and was finally shot down off the coast of South Carolina, where the military reports it has salvaged critical electronics from the crash site.