WEST LAFAYETTE — A joint effort between Purdue Research Foundation and the Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI) is preparing to launch the Taraia Object Expedition, a bold mission to locate Amelia Earhart’s lost aircraft on the remote island of Nikumaroro in the South Pacific.
Set for November 2025, the expedition will investigate an object spotted in satellite and sonar images, known as the Taraia Object, located beneath the waters of the island’s lagoon. The goal is to determine if this object is the remains of Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra, which vanished during her attempted flight around the world in 1937.
This expedition aligns with Purdue’s legacy, as the university was a major supporter of Earhart’s historic career and houses many of her personal artifacts.
