Right now, as I pointed out earlier, we have an understanding of the origin of the first high-altitude surveillance balloon. Right now, during the intercept time, and going back with the data that was available from the radar, we have been unable to actually ascertain or pinpoint the origin of the other balloons.
Some of them have entered the airspace via the Alaskan NORAD region, but for the others that have been detected in lower Canada transiting into the U.S., the first indications of the objects travelling across the airspace were on radar.
Collecting or actually recovering the objects that are on the ground is important so we can not only characterize the capabilities and the threat they pose to North America but also determine the origin and, hopefully, the intent behind such a launch and capabilities.