A puzzling object racing through the solar system is accelerating in a way that gravity alone cannot explain, prompting speculation that it may be a Soviet spacecraft lost nearly 40 years ago.

The object, known as 1998 KY26, is an approximately 36-foot-wide near-Earth asteroid. However, forces beyond the gravitational pull of the sun and planets appear to be altering its trajectory. New research has challenged one of the leading explanations for that motion.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman addressed the speculation Thursday on “Fox & Friends.” He said some members of the UAP community believe KY26 is moving unusually, but he has seen no evidence that it is anything other than an asteroid.

“First of all, nothing is about to hit us, to be very clear on this,” Isaacman said. “I’ve not seen any evidence to suggest this is a threat to our planet or anything other than an asteroid.”

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks at a Senate hearing in Washington, D.C. (REUTERS)

Scientists describe KY26’s strange motion as “nongravitational acceleration,” a term used when an object’s path is being influenced by something beyond the gravitational forces of the sun and planets.

One possibility is that KY26 is a “dark comet” containing subsurface water. If that water turns into gas, it could act like a small thruster and propel the object through space. Astronomers, however, have not observed the cloud or tail typically produced by a comet.

A new peer-reviewed study from Georgia Institute of Technology researchers Korbin Hansen and Masatoshi Hirabayashi has now weakened that theory.

Published in Icarus, the study concluded that KY26 is probably too warm for buried water ice to remain intact long enough to produce the observed acceleration.

Two shape models represent scientists’ estimates of near-Earth object 1998 KY26. (Credit: NASA)

The researchers wrote that the estimated rate of water loss “preclude 1998 KY26 being a dark comet at present.”

Other explanations remain possible. Earlier research suggested that sunlight striking KY26, combined with heat radiating from its surface, could generate the additional force without requiring buried water.

Another team, meanwhile, has investigated a much more unconventional explanation.

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb and researchers Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl have considered whether KY26 might be Phobos 1, an unmanned Soviet spacecraft that lost contact while en route to Mars in 1988.

An illustration depicts the Soviet Phobos 1 spacecraft, launched toward Mars in July 1988 before a faulty command caused it to shut down. (Credit: NASA)

KY26 measures about 36 feet across, reflects approximately 52% of the sunlight that reaches it and rotates once every 5.35 minutes.

The researchers created a simplified Phobos 1 model and compared its changing sunlight reflections as it rotated with observations of KY26. The spacecraft simulation closely matched eight separate observation sets.

They also modeled how sunlight might push against a cylinder or solar panels. That analysis matched hundreds of telescope and radar observations more closely than the asteroid models.

“Although an investigation of this kind cannot be conclusive,” the researchers wrote, their results “add strong weight to the Phobos 1 hypothesis.”

The team emphasized that the findings do not establish KY26 as the missing spacecraft. Instead, they described the idea as “strongly plausible but presently unproven.”

Still, other studies support a more ordinary explanation.

A separate paper published this year in Astronomy & Astrophysics analyzed the light reflected from KY26 and found that its composition appears consistent with a rocky asteroid. The researchers concluded that the object likely originated in the inner asteroid belt.

Isaacman said NASA is continuing to track KY26 and sees no reason for concern.

An illustration shows an asteroid passing near Earth as scientists investigate the unusual motion of 1998 KY26 and its possible connection to a long-lost Soviet spacecraft. (istock)

“I have no reason to believe this is in any way remotely a threat to our planet or anything other than just an asteroid,” he said.

A definitive answer could eventually come from a spacecraft encounter.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Hayabusa2 mission is scheduled to rendezvous with KY26 in July 2031, according to a 2025 study published in Nature Communications.

For Loeb, that mission could offer the clearest test yet of the Phobos 1 theory.

“Our prediction is that instead of an iceberg, Hayabusa 2’s cameras will reveal the label ‘Made in the U.S.S.R.,'” Loeb wrote.

Legendary NBC Sports broadcaster Dan Hicks died Wednesday at 64 after suffering an acute illness. His exact cause of death has not been disclosed.

The Tucson, Arizona, native was widely recognized for his work covering the Olympics, PGA Tour events and Notre Dame football. He also called NFL games for NBC from 1992 through 1998.

Hicks’ wife, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm, released a statement on behalf of herself and their three daughters, Hannah, Ellery and Riley.

“Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan following an acute illness,” Storm said in a statement Thursday. “He was a devoted husband of over 30 years, loving father to our three daughters, and cherished friend to so many. His loss is immeasurable.”

“Dan was truly one of a kind and, quite simply, the person everyone wanted to be around. When he walked into a room, he brought the energy, the laughter and the people together. He was endlessly kind, thoughtful and funny, and he made everyone feel like they mattered.”

“Our three daughters and I are heartbroken. We are grateful for the love and support surrounding our family during this incredibly difficult time. There are simply no words to express how much he will be missed.”

Dan Hicks passed away this week from an acute illness. The veteran NBC announcer was 64

Hicks’ wife, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm, has shared a statement on behalf of herself and the three daughters she shared with her husband: Hannah Hicks, Ellery, and Riley

Hannah Storm and Dan Hicks met in the late 1980s when they were both working at CNN 

Tiger Woods (right) is interviewed by NBC’s Dan Hicks (left) after winning the TOUR Championship on September 23, 2018, at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta

Hicks’ biggest moments on the mic included the US swim team’s comeback at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Tiger Woods’ dramatic putt to force a playoff at the 2008 US Open. 

NBC Sports executives Rick Cordella, Sam Flood and Molly Solomon responded to the tragedy with their own statement on Hicks’ impact. 

‘Dan Hicks was an extraordinary colleague, friend and person,’ the statement began. ‘In his 34 years at NBC sports, he was an exceptional storyteller and caller of games and events who elevated some of the biggest moments in sports history. 

‘From Olympic swimming and skiing to Notre Dame football, numerous other high profile events and especially as the signature voice of our golf coverage for the last 26 years, Dan’s blend of knowledge, style, enthusiasm and humor informed and entertained fans for decades. 

Dan Hicks of NBC Sports (C) speaks with former Ryder Cup captains Jack Nicklaus (L) and Tony Jacklin (R) during the opening ceremony for the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club

Storm and Hicks were married in 1994 and had three daughters: Hannah, Riley and Ellery

‘But far beyond his on-air excellence, Dan was a better person who welcomed teammates with a smile, a joke, or a word of encouragement, sometimes all three in the same sentence.

‘Our heartfelt condolences and love to his wife Hannah and his daughters Hannah, Ellery and Riley.’

After growing up in Tucson, Hicks remained in the area by enrolling at the University of Arizona, where he began doing radio. Later, he became a weekend anchor at Tucson’s KVOA before working as a sports reporter for upstart cable network, CNN, in 1989.

It was while working for CNN in Atlanta that Hicks met his future wife, Storm, whom he married in 1994.

After growing up in Tucson, Hicks remained in the area by enrolling at the University of Arizona, where he began doing radio. Later, he became a weekend anchor at Tucson’s KVOA before working as a sports reporter for upstart cable network, CNN, in 1989.

It was while working for CNN in Atlanta that Hicks met his future wife, Storm, whom he married in 1994. The two shared a home together in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Brian Rolapp, CEO of the PGA TOUR is interviewed by NBC Sports anchor Dan Hicks during the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship at Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 14

While Storm was becoming a staple of NBA coverage at NBC, Hicks joined the network, where he’d go on to work top golf majors, NFL playoff games and Notre Dame football. Coincidentally, Storm happens to be an alum of the South Bend, Indiana school.

‘My favorite call of his was the 4x100m Freestyle Relay comeback at 2008 Beijing Olympics,’ one fan wrote on X, adding: ‘incredible call on an incredible moment.’

‘Dan Hicks was as soothing as a sports-event host could be,’ another fan wrote. ‘He was like golf itself: pastoral, convivial, inviting. Clear and unpretentious in his command. He always made a golf telecast better. This is tough, tough news.’

Former NBC Universal executive Mark Lazarus released his own statement on Hicks’ passing.

‘I am heartbroken by the sudden loss of our friend Dan Hicks,’ read Lazarus’s statement. ‘For decades, I had the privilege of working alongside Dan, but our friendship extended far beyond NBC Sports. Dan was one of the very best at what he did, but what I will remember most is the person he was: a loyal friend and a devoted husband and father. My family and I are thinking of Hannah, their children and the entire Hicks family. We will miss him.’