A Chinese spy balloon that traveled across nearly the entire United States before being shot down off South Carolina in 2023 was reportedly carrying technology from at least five American companies, according to a report released Tuesday. The balloon made its journey from Alaska to the East Coast before being shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on February 3, 2023. While Beijing claimed the aircraft was a weather balloon, a U.S. intelligence investigation confirmed it was used for espionage.

The U.S. military’s technical analysis found that the balloon was carrying equipment, including a satellite communication module and sensors from at least five American companies. Some of this technology was stored in a foam cooler inside the balloon. Although it is believed that the information captured by the balloon was not relayed to Beijing, the discovery of sensitive U.S. tech has raised security concerns, particularly about commercially available technology being sold to adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran.

At the time of its shoot-down, the balloon was flying at an altitude of about 200 feet. It contained a dark-colored frame that spanned 30 feet and housed a 10-foot-long tech payload, which included advanced surveillance equipment. One of the stolen technologies on the balloon was a short burst messaging module called Iridium 9602, produced by Virginia-based Iridium Communications. This patent, titled “A high-altitude balloon safety control and positioning recovery device and method,” was reportedly one of the pieces of technology recovered.

Other companies whose technology was found on the balloon included Texas Instruments, Omega Engineering, Amphenol All Sensors Corporation, and onsemi. Switzerland’s STMicroelectronics was also implicated. While Texas Instruments and STMicroelectronics stated they were unaware of their technology being used on the balloon, they both emphasized respect for export controls. Other companies contacted for comment did not respond.