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Amelia Earhart Expedition Postponed

The joint Purdue University, Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) and Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI) mission to locate Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10E has been postponed to 2026. The Taraia Object Expedition, originally scheduled to depart from Majuro in the Marshall Islands on Nov. 4, was delayed as the team awaits additional permit approvals from the Kiribati government and faces the onset of the South Pacific cyclone season. The planned mission aims to investigate a submerged anomaly in Nikumaroro Island’s lagoon that researchers believe could be the remains of Earhart’s aircraft.

The project, first announced in July, involves a 15-person crew equipped with sonar and magnetometers to confirm the identity of the “Taraia Object.” Members of the expedition suspect the object may be part of Amelia Earhart’s lost Lockheed Electra 10E. ALI executive director Richard Pettigrew said the team remains committed to the mission despite the setback. 

“Postponing a complex project like this poses logistical and financial challenges for us and our partners, but we have to take it in stride,” Pettigrew said. He added that “because of the compelling evidence we have in front of us, we have to go to Nikumaroro and get a close look at the Taraia Object.”

Steve Schultz, Purdue’s senior vice president and general counsel and a member of the Amelia Earhart expedition team, said maritime projects of this scale require multiple layers of government authorization. 

“This is a real-time example of Purdue’s well-known ‘persistent pursuit,’” Schultz said. 

The delay follows renewed global attention to Earhart’s disappearance, including the September directive from President Donald Trump ordering the release of government records related to the 1937 flight. 

Pending clearances, the team expects to finalize a revised schedule soon, with a targeted departure in early 2026.

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