The Pentagon has released some classified UFO-related materials for the first time. The documents include photos and transcripts from the Apollo moon missions and earlier space programs. The files do not provide any definitive evidence, but some of the observed phenomena remain unexplained.
What’s included in the first package
The Trump administration has launched the PURSUE program (Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters), a system for the phased declassification of archives on UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomena)—which is now the official term for UFOs.
The first batch of 161 files was released on May 8, 2026, on the war.gov website. It includes reports, photographs, and video footage from military operations dating back to the 1940s. It also contains U.S. State Department dispatches and FBI materials.
Testimonies from the Apollo and Gemini crews
Of particular interest are materials from the Apollo 12 mission, which took place in 1969, and the Apollo 17 mission—the 1972 lunar exploration. Among them are photographs with enlarged sections showing bright spots or streaks against the backdrop of space.
The Pentagon added a note to the Apollo 17 photograph, in which three dots form a triangular pattern on the Moon’s surface: “There is no consensus on the nature of the anomaly,” but preliminary analysis suggests that the photo captures a physical object.
The transcript of the 1965 Gemini 7 mission has also been released, in which astronaut Frank Borman describes an unidentified “bogey”—a term used in military aviation to refer to any target that has not yet been identified—and a “field of debris consisting of hundreds of small particles.”
Thirty years ago, space historian James Oberg proposed the most likely explanation: that the “bogies” were fragments of the Gemini 7 launch vehicle, which were traveling in a similar orbit along with other debris.
What the officials say
The Pentagon described the release as a preliminary version and cautioned that most of the data has not yet been analyzed for anomalies. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the department acted in unison with President Trump and that it was time for Americans to see this for themselves. Additional files are expected to be released on an ongoing basis.
However, as early as 2024, the Pentagon’s report found no evidence of extraterrestrial activity, and most of the observed phenomena were attributed to mundane causes—weather balloons, birds, and satellites.
According to universetoday.com
