On June 30, 2026, the Associated Press reported that Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist and former chair of its astronomy department, had been appointed to lead a new scientific advisory team studying UAP, including the mysterious orbs reported by military personnel. The team reports to a UAP Governance Board set up by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in response to President Trump’s February order to declassify more information. AP initially said the White House had created the panel, and corrected that the next day.

Loeb was a respected cosmologist who wrote hundreds of papers on black holes and early galaxies. Since 2017 he has argued that ‘Oumuamua might be an alien light sail, that metal spherules he dredged from the Pacific could be alien technology and that 3I/ATLAS could be artificial. Other scientists have challenged each claim.

His hand-picked team includes more than a dozen scientists and UFO activists, among them retired Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, who has said the U.S. has recovered crashed non-human craft, and Ben Lamm, a billionaire working to revive extinct species.

Sean Kirkpatrick, the former head of the Pentagon’s UAP office, said Loeb is not viewed favorably in the scientific community and lacks national security experience. Arizona State astrophysicist Steve Desch said no one will get closer to answers with Loeb in charge.

Loeb said he would start from the assumption that UAP are human-made and approach them as a national security question. He doesn’t buy cover-up theories, he said: “Let’s keep our eyes on the orbs.”