Wasn't one theory about Roswell that it was some kind of test balloon with crash test dummies? Something about testing for radiation in the upper atmosphere back before everyone and their brother knew how to make a gun style nuclear device?
(Nowadays any idiot with some uranium could make a suitcase nuke, LMAO)
>According to a Pentagon source, the balloon offers "limited additive value" over satellites.
Uh... no?
Mainly because satellites are known -- black sites like Area 51 reguarly put away the "good stuff" when they known a spy satellite is overhead. That's not possible for random Chinese balloons we only find out about when some commercial pilot phones them in.