NASA conducted its first public meeting on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), commonly known as UFOs, a year after launching a study into sightings that couldn’t be explained.

The public meeting took place at NASA’s headquarters in Washington, DC. The purpose of this session was to undergo “final deliberations” before publishing the panel’s report, according to David Spergel, the panel chair. He stated that the report is slated for release by the end of July.

Spergel pointed out the importance of reliable data during his opening speech on Wednesday. He highlighted that the current data collection methods for UAPs needed to be more organized. In addition, Spergel noted that devices used were often uncalibrated for scientific data collection, resulting in a lack of high-quality data.

Dan Evans, a senior research official at NASA’s science unit, said the panel still has considerable work to do over the coming months. He also highlighted the challenges faced by the panel members, including online abuse and harassment.

This inquiry, the first of its kind under the US space agency, represents a new era of openness in a field previously kept under tight wraps by military and national security officials. Contrary to widespread notions linking UFOs to extraterrestrial life, NASA has stressed that no conclusive evidence suggests UAPs originate from beyond Earth. Nevertheless, US defense officials admitted that their recent efforts to explore these sightings have resulted in hundreds of new reports, most of which remain unexplained.