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Researchers from Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute are sailing to Nikumaroro Island to investigate the Taraia Object, a satellite anomaly visible since 1938.
A team of researchers from the Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI) and Purdue University is en route to Nikumaroro Island in the Pacific Ocean to investigate what they believe may be the wreckage of Amelia Earhart’s plane. The expedition aims to examine the "Taraia Object," an anomaly first spotted in satellite imagery in 2020 and later confirmed to be visible in aerial photography dating back to 1938.
The team departed Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, on Wednesday aboard the Marin Mainiku, a vessel operated by the Kiribati National Shipping Line. According to a Purdue University update published on October 9, 2026, the crew had traveled approximately 370 of the 830 nautical miles to the island by Friday. The vessel is traveling at an average speed of 7 knots, or about 8 miles per hour, and is tentatively expected to arrive at Nikumaroro around midday on Monday, Oct. 12, local time.
Nikumaroro is a remote coral atoll located about 1,800 nautical miles south of Hawaii and more than 230 miles from the nearest inhabited island. The crew reports mostly calm seas and favorable wind conditions. "We saw photos and had a pretty good idea of what we were getting into, but nothing can prepare you for the real thing," said Steve Schultz, Purdue senior vice president and general counsel, serving as Purdue’s expedition team lead. "The sights, the sounds and overall conditions on a working ship plying through the rolling ocean swells is a unique experience. But we all signed up for a seafaring adventure, and we’re focused on the work ahead."
The expedition focuses on the Taraia Object, which appears in shallow waters on the edge of a lagoon. Purdue University stated that the object has been confirmed to have been visible in aerial photography of the area dating back to 1938. The team plans to use magnetometers and sonar for remote sensing before attempting to uncover the object using a hydraulic dredge.
"Finding Amelia Earhart's Electra aircraft would be the discovery of a lifetime," said Richard Pettigrew, head of the ALI and the expedition lead. Pettigrew noted that the expedition is the result of years of research into Earhart’s disappearance. The team will divide into two groups upon arrival: one to cut a passage through the jungle to the lagoon, and another to guide smaller boats around the island’s southern perimeter to the Tatiman Passage.
While the researchers are optimistic, other experts remain skeptical. Ric Gillespie, who specializes in recovering historic aircraft wrecks, told news agency Reuters that the object looked like a tree that had fallen from the atoll into the nearby water. "I'd love to find that airplane. It ain't gonna happen," Gillespie said. He suspects Earhart’s plane likely broke apart and its fragments were carried into the depths of the Pacific long ago.
Previous attempts to locate Earhart’s Lockheed Electra have been unsuccessful. In 2024, researchers reported a potential find near Howland Island using sonar imaging, but it was later confirmed to be a rock formation. A 2019 expedition led by the marine archaeologist who discovered the Titanic also failed to find evidence related to a photograph of what might have been landing gear near Nikumaroro.
Amelia Earhart vanished in 1937 while attempting to circumnavigate the globe. The official explanation is that she ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean near Howland Island, but no physical evidence has ever been recovered. This expedition represents a new effort to resolve one of aviation’s most enduring mysteries using modern remote sensing technology and historical aerial data.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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