US military aircraft have located a high-altitude balloon flying over the western part of the country, according to the BBC’s media partner CBS News.

The object has been determined to be non-threatening, but its origin and purpose are unknown.

A US official told CBS the balloon was seen on Friday over Colorado, drifting east.

Last year, the US shot down a Chinese balloon after it crossed the country from Alaska to the east coast.

The US military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday about the latest balloon sighting.

The alleged aerial surveillance last February sparked a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Beijing.

The Chinese authorities had denied it was a spy aircraft, describing it as a weather ship blown astray.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled a trip to China, calling the airship’s presence an “irresponsible act”.

An F-22 jet fighter fired a missile at the balloon, destroying it off the coast of South Carolina.