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7h ago

Purdue and ALI Launch Funded November Expedition to Probe ‘Taraia Object’ on Nikumaroro

A $500,000 Purdue Research Foundation credit line backs a five-day November mission to inspect a satellite anomaly thought to be Earhart’s Electra in Nikumaroro’s lagoon.

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Amelia-Earhart-1.jpg: Amelia Earhart on the nose of her Lockheed Electra, March 12, 1937.

Overview

  • The Purdue Research Foundation has provided a $500,000 line of credit to fund the first phase of the Taraia Object expedition.
  • Researchers from Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute will depart the Marshall Islands on Nov. 5, 2025, and spend five days on Nikumaroro evaluating the satellite anomaly.
  • Known as the Taraia Object, the target was first spotted in 2015 imagery after a tropical cyclone shifted lagoon sands, revealing a metallic shape matching the Electra’s dimensions.
  • The mission aims to confirm whether the anomaly is the Lockheed Electra 10E that Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan flew in 1937.
  • Upon confirmation, a larger excavation is planned for 2026 to recover aircraft remains and fulfill Earhart’s intention to donate the plane to Purdue.