BILLINGS — After last year’s sighting of a Chinese spy balloon over Billings, Montanans have kept their eyes on the skies. That was especially true over the weekend, when several residents posted pictures on social media of a balloon spotted hovering over Montana skies.

That balloon, however, was not a foreign surveillance tool: It’s owned by South Dakota-based aerospace technology company, Aerostar, which is conducting research to improve its technology.

The balloon spotted over the weekend was much bigger than a weather balloon.

“That Thunderhead system, like the one you sent the photo of, that’s a 60 or 70-foot wide balloon, so it’s a pretty good size balloon,” said Russ Van Der Werff, vice president of stratosphere solutions for Aerostar over a video call Tuesday.

South Dakota-based Aerostar launched the balloon that many spotted, using it for research and development.

“Suddenly people’s ears perk up when the balloons go overhead, and they think there must be something going on. But the reality is, you know, we’ve been flying these systems for decades,” said Van Der Werff.

“We fly probably a couple dozen balloons a year just as R&D tests to test the navigation, the endurance, the steering, the solar and battery technology and all of that,” Van Der Werff said. “It’s designed to be a long-duration, navigational-enabled stratospheric balloon. So it flies, say, between 50 and 100,000 feet and it can steer to a location and persist there by using different winds at different altitudes up in the atmosphere.”

These balloons are fitted with an aviation transponder, so they can be tracked.

“We file a flight plan, just like an aircraft would, work in contact with the FAA or whatever country authorities were flying over, just like an aircraft would,” said Van Der Werff.

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The company works with partners like NASA, Google, and even the U.S. military, helping with everything from communications during natural disasters to scientific research.

It’s something Van Der Werff hopes Montanans will get used to as the technology improves.

“As we figure out how to do more interesting stuff, more important stuff with these systems, there’s going to be more of them there. So hopefully people can get used to seeing them. And it’s not always a bad thing. In fact, a lot of the things we’re doing are really good,” Van Der Werff said.

As a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Glasgow, Patrick Gilchrist says his agency periodically fields calls about strange balloon sightings, particularly in the wake of the Chinese spy balloon flight last year.

“Certainly, it’s drawn attention to weather balloons and to what’s going on there. We’ve gotten some questions,” said Gilchrist in a video call Tuesday.

Dozens of commenters on social media speculated that this latest balloon sighting was a National Weather Service balloon, but Gilchrist said his agency’s balloons are smaller.

“Ours are designed to go from the service of the Earth up to about 100,000 feet, sample what that is, then they burst. Then they fall to the Earth and they’re done with them basically,” Gilchrist said.

National Weather Service Glasgow

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NWS launches at least two weather balloons daily from both Glasgow and Great Falls, usually around 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. The balloons provide the data that drive their forecasts.

“We’ve seen some of these balloons drift through from time to time, but we don’t think a whole lot of them,” added Gilchrist.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Six teenage players from a South Dakota American Legion baseball team who were charged as adults in a rape case last summer have reached plea deals.

Three players from the Mitchell-based team pleaded guilty last month to being an accessory to a felony, and three others entered the same plea Monday, KELO-TV reported. All six players could face up to five years in prison at sentencing next month.

Attorneys from both sides declined to discuss the case.

The players, who were 17 to 19 years old when a grand jury indicted them, were originally charged with second-degree rape and aiding and abetting second-degree rape.

South Dakota law requires minors ages 16 and older who are charged with such felonies to be tried as adults, although the minors can attempt to have their cases moved to juvenile court, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, the victims were 16 when they were sexually assaulted during a tournament in Rapid City last June.

Another three players were charged in juvenile court, but details of their cases are not made public.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

What is it about small town America? Getting away from the noise of a big city. No traffic congestion. Seeing a sunset. A smile from a stranger. Those are just a few of the things  that travelers find in the small-towns of South Dakota.

Yankton, South Dakota is just one of the many small towns we are proud to call charming.

HGTV knows beauty when they see it. Recognized as one of the 50 Most Charming Small Towns in America, Yankton was chosen as a quintessential part of American life.

One of the many focal points is the historic Meridian Bridge. Formerly the cities connection to Nebraska on State Highway 81, it now continues to take walkers, joggers, and bikers over the Missouri River.

When you set out to visit and discover new parts of South Dakota, your list may include where to eat, what will the kids enjoy, are there any historical connections, or where will you stay.

Yankton is one of the oldest towns in South Dakota and for history buffs, the Dakota Territorial Museum houses exhibits of Lewis & Clark, the Children’s Transportation Museum, and learn the fate of the man who killed Wild Bill Hickok.

One of the most popular draws to Yankton is the Missouri River and Lewis & Clark Lake where boating pleasure comes in many forms. The river runs right through downtown Yankton and Riverside Park.

Upstream from Yankton Gavins Point Dam has excellent fishing. It also serves an an additional crossing into Cornhusker country.

We also tip our hat to Yankton as the Archery Capitol of South Dakota, hosting the World Archery Championships.

READ MORE: Is It Legal To Drink While Boating in South Dakota and Minnesota

All year round, Yankton, South Dakota welcomes you.