On June 9, 2022, NASA announced the creation of the UAP Independent Study Team. The study was commissioned by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in consultation with the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. It was given a formal Statement of Task containing eight specific questions. Those questions define what NASA officially asked science to investigate — and what the Final Report of September 14, 2023 was obligated to address.
The Full Statement of Task
The eight questions NASA put to the study team were:
- What types of scientific data currently collected and archived by NASA or other civilian government entities should be synthesized and analyzed to potentially shed light on the nature and origins of UAP?
- What types of scientific data currently collected and held by non-profits and companies should be synthesized and analyzed?
- What other types of scientific data should be collected by NASA to enhance potential understanding of UAP?
- Which scientific analysis techniques currently in production could be employed to assess the nature and origins of UAP? Which types should be developed?
- What basic physical constraints can be placed on the nature and origins of UAP?
- What civilian airspace data related to UAPs have been collected by government agencies and are available for analysis to inform understanding and determine risk to National Airspace?
- What current reporting protocols and air traffic management data acquisition systems can be modified to acquire additional UAP data?
- What potential enhancements to future ATM development efforts can be recommended to acquire data concerning future reported UAPs?
What the Task Structure Reveals
The Statement of Task is structured around a data problem, not a phenomenon problem. NASA framed its UAP study as fundamentally about measurement: what data exists, what data should exist, what techniques can process it, and what airspace systems need to be modified to collect it. This framing is significant because it sidesteps the question of what UAPs are and focuses on building the infrastructure to answer that question scientifically. Questions 5 through 8 are explicitly about risk to aviation and airspace integrity — not about extraordinary claims.
Key Facts
- Study commissioned: June 9, 2022
- Public meeting: May 31, 2023 (10:30am–2:30pm ET, broadcast live)
- Final Report published: September 14, 2023
- Report PDF: science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/uap-independent-study-team-final-report.pdf
- FAQ page: science.nasa.gov/uap/faqs/
- UAP contact: Daniel.A.Evans@nasa.gov
- Page last updated: February 23, 2026
Source: science.nasa.gov/uap/. NASA Science Mission Directorate. Last updated February 23, 2026.