ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – South Valley residents thought they spotted something extraterrestrial in the sky this morning but turns out, it was just a Stratollite balloon. KRQE News 13 cameras caught video of the object near Isleta Amphitheater.
The company World View Enterprises confirmed it is one of their Stratollite balloons, not to be confused with a weather balloon. This specific balloon launched from Arizona at the end of August and is being used in collaboration with NASA to help detect radiation at aviation flight levels. While it doesn’t look like much from down on Earth, the balloon is actually 450 feet tall which is taller than the tallest building in New Mexico.