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A flight planned by researchers searching for answers about the disappearance of American aviator Amelia Earhart has been postponed.
The Purdue Research Foundation, based in Indiana, and the Archaeological Heritage Institute, in Oregon, announced that the Taraia Object Expedition research project has been halted for the time being.
The researchers were planning to depart on November 4 from Majuro, in the Marshall Islands, to the remote island of Nikumaroro – located roughly halfway between Australia and Hawaii.
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But a press release indicated that the project has been postponed to 2026, due to the beginning of the hurricane season in the South Pacific.
“The decision comes as the team awaits additional clearance from the Government of Kiribati and as seasonal weather challenges emerge over the Pacific Ocean during the winter months,” the statement read.
Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo and non-stop across the United States on August 24, 1932. (AP)
When they reach the island, researchers want to determine if the “Taraya object,” an optical anomaly captured by satellite, is actually the remains of Earhart’s plane.
Earhart is widely recognized as an aviation pioneer, having become the first woman to fly solo and non-stop across the United States on August 24, 1932.
She once worked at Purdue University in Indiana, where she served as a women’s career advisor and advised the aerospace engineering department while living in a women’s residence hall.
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Earhart flew the Electra, which disappeared on July 2, 1937, while traveling from New Guinea to Howland Island.
Researchers assume that Earhart did not crash into the sea, but rather landed and was stranded on Nikumaroro Island, where she later died.
The Taraia Object Expedition to Nikumaroro Island will investigate a satellite anomaly that researchers believe could be Amelia Earhart’s missing plane. (Purdue Research Foundation)
President Donald Trump previously announced that he had ordered his administration to declassify and release all government records related to Amelia Earhart.
Stephen Schultz, chief legal officer at Purdue Research, spoke about Trump’s order at a news conference last month.
“One aspect of that letter is that he ordered the release of any classified materials relating to Amelia and her final journey,” he said. “To our knowledge, there are no records – there are no such records that have not yet been classified.”
The Purdue Research Foundation and the Institute of Archaeological Heritage recently announced the “Taraia Object Expedition” project. (Purdue Research Foundation)
Dorothy Cochrane, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum The Earhart expert previously told Fox News Digital that “there is no real mystery” surrounding Electra’s disappearance.
“Amelia W [navigator] unique [Noonan] They were on the right track. They had a track to reach nearby Howland Island. …It was a small island in the middle of nowhere, and there were problems with radio communications; She indicated that they were unable to find him before the fuel ran out.
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Many theories have been circulated about the disappearance, such as that Earhart lived as an outcast on Nikumaroro Island, was captured by the Japanese, or served as an “American spy” and monitored Japanese activity in the Pacific.
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Cochrane said she does not believe in these theories.
“There are facts to follow from the Coast Guard members who were waiting for them in Howland, so it is important to research in and around Howland,” she said.