US officials say getting their hands on China's spy balloon was a 'key' reason for shooting it down near a South Carolina beach

• Lawmakers are scrutinizing the military's response to the Chinese spy balloon that floated over the US this month.
• Officials say they waited to shoot it down to lower the risk to the public and increase their ability to recover it.
• US officials say balloons have crossed over the US before as part of a wider Chinese surveillance program.

When a US Air Force F-22 blasted a Chinese surveillance balloon out of the sky with an AIM-9X missile on Saturday — a first for the plane and the missile — it brought the balloon's journey across the US to an end.