US officials monitor Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS amid government shutdown

Federal personnel are continuing to monitor the interstellar comet known as 3I/ATLAS as it moves through the solar system despite disruptions caused by the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, according to DefenseScoop.

Officials confirmed that NASA experts are scheduled to speak with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna on Wednesday following her request for more imagery and data about the object.

The comet, first detected by NASA’s ATLAS telescope in July, is currently being observed by multiple agencies as it travels on a hyperbolic path through the solar system.

US agencies continue tracking interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during shutdown

Government agencies maintain comet tracking during shutdown

According to DefenseScoop, federal scientists have maintained tracking of 3I/ATLAS despite the lapse in government funding.

A government source familiar with the matter said that NASA officials are expected to brief Luna and her staff, noting that relevant data will be released once operations resume.

Luna’s office confirmed that she reached out to NASA “in assistance with a scientist at Harvard” and has a scheduled call with the agency.

Rep. Luna wrote to NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy on October 31, urging the release of imagery and information regarding the interstellar comet.

“This information is of great importance to advancing our understanding of interstellar visitors and their interaction with our solar system,” Luna stated in the letter.

NASA’s email response to DefenseScoop indicated that “the organization was closed due to a lapse in government funding and that mailboxes were not being monitored.”

However, the agency continues to observe 3I/ATLAS through its assets, which include the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, TESS and other probes, as outlined in its public documentation.

3I/ATLAS: third known interstellar object

According to NASA’s official overview, Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third known object from outside the solar system to be recorded passing through. Its hyperbolic trajectory confirms that it did not originate from within the Sun’s gravitational system.

The object was first reported by the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, on July 1, 2025.

NASA reported that “Comet 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth and will remain far away,” reaching its closest point to the planet at approximately 1.8 astronomical units, or about 170 million miles.

The comet is expected to reach perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, around October 30, 2025, at roughly 1.4 astronomical units.

Observations indicate that it brightened around this period and exhibited possible non-gravitational acceleration, according to data shared with DefenseScoop by Harvard professor Avi Loeb.

Scientific observations and ongoing monitoring

Hubble captured imagery of 3I/ATLAS on July 21, 2025, revealing a “teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust” surrounding its nucleus.

NASA stated that observations as of August 20 estimate the upper limit of the comet’s nucleus to be 3.5 miles in diameter, though it could be as small as 440 meters.

Loeb, who has briefed Congress on topics relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena, told DefenseScoop:

"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.”

The Pentagon confirmed to DefenseScoop that its All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) “is following reports relating to 3I/ATLAS closely,” but added that the comet “falls outside of AARO’s mission as the object is assessed to be a comet and therefore is not considered [UAP].”

The International Asteroid Warning Network has announced a campaign to collect data on 3I/ATLAS between November 27 and January 27.

As NASA assets continue to gather observations, findings, and imagery, they are expected to be shared once government operations resume.

Stay tuned for more updates.