3I/ATLAS Update: Why US Officials Are Monitoring It During Government Shutdown?

A massive, mysterious object is hurtling through our solar system, and it has caught the attention of the highest levels of the US government. The interstellar comet, known as 3I/ATLAS, is being monitored by federal personnel, multiple officials told DefenseScoop on Tuesday.

This heightened scrutiny is happening despite a major US government shutdown that has officially shuttered organisations like NASA. While NASA's public-facing operations are closed, essential personnel are still tracking 3I/ATLAS because its anomalous nature—and the high-level congressional interest it has generated—are deemed significant.

The situation has drawn such concern that NASA experts are set to connect with at least one congressional lawmaker about the mysterious object on Wednesday, following her official request for the government to release all its imagery of the visitor.

What Is 3I/ATLAS and Why Is It Causing a Stir?

Questions have been swirling about the nature and origin of 3I/ATLAS and its bizarre trajectory since the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in Chile first spotted it in July. Its name stems from its status as only one of three interstellar objects (3/I) ever discovered in our solar system, as well as the NASA-funded telescope that identified it.

It is reportedly massive in size and traveled at the highest speed ever recorded for such an object. These specific anomalies are the primary reason US officials are justifying continued monitoring during the shutdown. Intrigued by its unusual composition and several unique features, astronomers across the world have been studying the comet since its initial observation.

In the aftermath of the discovery, Harvard University professor and astronomer Avi Loeb said there was a chance that an interstellar object with such perplexing aspects could be an 'alien probe.'

Other theories, including that it could be sending signals or messages from another world, subsequently went viral online. NASA and the European Space Agency both rejected those claims and continue to maintain that it's a natural, albeit uncommon, comet.

Congress Demands Answers on 3I/ATLAS Amid NASA Shutdown

Loeb, who recently briefed Congress members on topics associated with unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and national security, has been calling for the public dissemination of the latest data and imagery captured on 3I/ATLAS. He and others are questioning why this data is being withheld, as NASA has not supplied new public data since the federal government closed on October 1.

Echoing his concerns, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., penned a letter to NASA's Acting Administrator Sean Duffy on October 31 to urge the immediate release of specific records, images and data about 3I/ATLAS for wider analysis.

'This information is of great importance to advancing our understanding of interstellar visitors and their interaction with our solar system', Luna wrote.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson on her team told DefenseScoop that officials representing NASA and the Pentagon have not briefed House lawmakers on the comet to date. However, this is changing due to direct congressional pressure.

Luna reached out to the space agency 'in assistance with a scientist at Harvard' and now has a call scheduled for Wednesday.

'We're interested in seeing the imagery and I'm sure this will be one of many objects to observe as tech has advanced, and we will see more in the near future,' Luna's spokesperson said.

A government source, who was granted anonymity, separately confirmed that NASA officials are tracking the interstellar comet and expect to discuss 3I/ATLAS with Luna and her team. The source also indicated that NASA intends to release relevant findings, data and observations once the US government reopens.

Is 3I/ATLAS a UAP or Just a Comet?

After Congress mandated its creation, Pentagon leadership formally set up the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to investigate airborne, transmedium and submerged objects that are not immediately identifiable, but could impact US defence. These objects are referred to in the modern era as UAP.

Responding to a query about whether this third interstellar comet was or is considered a national security threat, a Pentagon official told DefenseScoop on Tuesday: 'AARO enjoys strong partnerships with the scientific community and is following reports relating to 3I/ATLAS closely. (This close monitoring by the Pentagon's UAP office, even while officially dismissing it as a UAP, is part of why the object is receiving high-level attention during the shutdown.) However, 3I/ATLAS falls outside of AARO's mission as the object is assessed to be a comet and therefore is not considered [UAP].'

'We refer you to NASA for more information about 3I/ATLAS,' the Pentagon official said.

DefenseScoop received an automated email from NASA saying that the organisation was closed due to a lapse in government funding and that mailboxes were not being monitored.

The 'Black Swan' Theory: What We Are Watching for with 3I/ATLAS

Harvard's Loeb told DefenseScoop on Tuesday that 3I/ATLAS is a 'potential black swan event'.

'The object is most likely a natural comet, but its anomalies imply that we must consider a technological origin because of the large implications to humanity in that case,' Loeb said. This small, but civilization-altering possibility is the core reason why defense and intelligence officials, alongside NASA, are not ignoring 3I/ATLAS, even during a shutdown. 'In the coming weeks, we will be able to learn much more about its nature.'

The interstellar comet moved past its closest point of approach to the Sun on October 29. According to Loeb, early data suggests that it brightened dramatically and also exhibited what could be a non-gravitational acceleration.

'The interpretation of these features will become easier in the coming weeks as it gets out of the direction of the Sun in our sky and we can observe it in detail,' Loeb said. He noted that the International Asteroid Warning Network has announced a dedicated campaign to collect data on 3I/ATLAS between November 27 and January 27.

Whether 3I/ATLAS is a 'black swan' event or simply an unusual comet, the fact that US officials are monitoring it during a government shutdown—and that Congress is demanding the data—speaks to its significance. As the world waits for NASA to release its findings, the debate between a natural phenomenon and a technological anomaly continues.