A promising Purdue University-backed expedition to search for Amelia Earhart's downed plane has been postponed to 2026. The unfortunate turn of events was revealed in a press release issued by the Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) and the Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI), which are working together on the project that was announced back in July. Dubbed the Taraia Object Expedition, the effort aims to examine a peculiar aircraft-like anomaly spotted in satellite images of the Pacific Island of Nikumaroro, where many Earhart researchers believe her doomed flight came to an untimely end. The search was set to commence next week, on November 4th, but will now happen sometime in 2026 due to a pair of factors cited by organizers.

Specifically, they explained that additional time was needed to"work through additional stages of the permit approval process with the Kiribati government," which presides over Nikumaroro. Additionally, the Taraia Object Expedition team expressed concern over "seasonal weather challenges" that would prevent a "safe departure" in the remaining months of this year. While organizers were likely dispirited by the delay, ALI executive director Richard Pettigrew had a sanguine perspective on the setback. "We’ve overcome other challenges to this project over the past four years," he mused, "and we will get past this one, too." While it is uncertain when the expedition will launch in 2026, Pettigrew indicated that "we will have a revised project schedule worked out soon."