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The balloon typically suspends hardware that serves the actual function; it was likely that hardware that broke into pieces on the ice.

Right, but what makes it confusing it this is the one they were calling object, so not confirmation of being a balloon or suspending a payload.

You are being exceedingly pedantic in interpreting their wording.

Lighter than air aircraft. Could have been some light weight composite.

It will be interesting to see what they release about the objects and their construction and potential functions.

Perhaps at the temperatures in that area the material used to construct the balloon becomes brittle enough to shatter. I didn't look at temperature data from that altitude to see whether common materials would lose flexibility.