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Harvard Scientist Pushes Back on NASA Chief Over Object 1998 KY26

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb disputes NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman's view that the speeding object 1998 KY26 is an ordinary asteroid. Loeb argues its unexplained acceleration points elsewhere and says a 2031 mission could settle the question.

By matthew jonathan

November 15, 20262 min read

Harvard Scientist Pushes Back on NASA Chief Over Object 1998 KY26

A Harvard scientist pushes back on NASA's top official over a mystery space object, insisting it is "not an asteroid." Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist, disputed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman's view of the object known as 1998 KY26 in an interview published November 15, 2026.

What Isaacman said

Isaacman discussed the object during a television appearance on "Fox & Friends." "I've not seen any evidence to suggest this is...anything other than an asteroid," he said.

Loeb answered that 1998 KY26 shows non-gravitational acceleration. "It's being pushed by some force other than gravity, and asteroids are just rocks," he said.

The puzzle of the acceleration

The object is roughly 36 feet wide and is believed to be a near-Earth asteroid. It is speeding up in a way gravity alone cannot explain, and scientists are still trying to work out why.

One theory calls it a "dark comet," a rocky body that behaves like a comet without a visible cloud or tail. New research from Georgia Tech has cast doubt on whether KY26 could keep enough ice to produce that effect. Other research suggests sunlight pressure and heat radiating from its surface could account for the acceleration.

Loeb rejects the comet explanation. "We don't see a cometary tail. We don't see any evidence for outgassing around this object. That's the puzzle," he said.

He argued that a comet pushing itself forward with gas would leave evidence. "We should have seen the dust because for comets we see a tail and the dust particles are being pushed away from the sun by the solar radiation," he said.

The Phobos 1 idea

Loeb and his colleagues have examined whether KY26 could be Phobos 1, a Soviet spacecraft that stopped communicating while traveling to Mars in 1988. The probe launched in July 1988 and was lost after a faulty command caused it to shut down.

Loeb said his team found KY26's trajectory closely resembles that of the failed mission. They also calculated that sunlight reflecting off Phobos 1 could produce a push consistent with the acceleration seen in KY26.

He pointed to recent observations indicating the object is highly reflective and rotates about once every five minutes. Loeb said a 2031 mission could settle the mystery.

Isaacman has not said he has seen evidence for any explanation other than an asteroid. Loeb's case rests on the missing tail, and he calls the absence of outgassing the central puzzle.