Chinese spy craft payload located off waters of South Carolina, mostly intact: US official

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Lawmakers briefed on the Chinese spy balloon program and the discoveries so far

Congressional correspondent Aishah Hasnie reports on the discoveries of the Chinese spy balloon after a briefing for lawmakers and a tense Congressional hearing on 'Special Report.'

The payload of the Chinese spy balloon has been found in waters off the coast of South Carolina, a U.S. official tells Fox News.

The payload was originally about the size of a bus and remains mostly intact since the balloon was shot down by U.S. military fighter jets, the official said.  

Bad weather will delay the search for debris. Rainfall and winds traveling at 29 to 35 mph are expected to affect the debris field. "Strong winds will cause hazardous seas which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility," according to the gale warning. 

''The recovery operation is ongoing, and by operation we include ship movements to/from the site as well as activities on site and security of the site," the senior military official said. "The weather is impacting operations below the surface for a short period, so we’re conducting offload and resupply in the interim. U.S. Coast Guard ships remain on site for security. The HOS Rosebud will assist in the recovery operation in the coming days." 

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FBI agents search for possible material of the high altitude balloon off the coast of South Carolina. (FBI)

A large balloon drifts above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of South Carolina, with a fighter jet and its contrail seen below it on Saturday. (Chad Fish via AP)

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Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder is expected to provide updates on the recovery effort at 2 p.m. ET on Friday.

The Pentagon first announced it had detected the spy craft last week as it was flying over the state of Montana. President Biden said he gave orders for the balloon to be shot down on Wednesday, but that defense officials "decided that the best time to do that was when it got over water outside within a 12-mile limit." 

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Ships scan the sea during efforts to retrieve and recover the Chinese spy balloon after it was shot down Saturday. (Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The balloon was finally shot down on Saturday as it flew six nautical miles off the coast of South Carolina. 

At a briefing this week, senior military and national security officials confirmed that the downed balloon was connected to a major surveillance program operated by China's military. The program uses dated balloon technology along with modern signal surveillance techniques. 

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China's surveillance balloons travel in the upper atmosphere, hovering between 60,000 and 80,000 feet above sea level, higher than commercial aircraft travels. 

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.