Intelligence officials said it was possible the balloon was blown off course, but by the time it came over the continental U.S., it was being controlled by China.
The giant spy balloon, taller than the Statue of Liberty, was shot down in U.S. airspace in early February. Three other objects were shot down in the ensuing days.
The lead ship in the Navy's newest class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers is embarking on a short deployment in the Atlantic five years after it was commissioned.