The Pentagon released 162 UAP files on May 8, including NASA Apollo moon photos and 1965 astronaut audio
Summary
- The Department of War posted 162 UAP files on May 8 at war.gov/ufo, covering sightings from 1942 to 2025, with 108 of the files containing some redactions.
- The most notable documents include NASA transcripts and photographs from the Apollo 12 and 17 moon missions, with three unexplained lights visible above the lunar surface in the Apollo 17 image.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed more files will follow in rolling tranches, with the Pentagon opening a formal investigation into the Apollo 17 photograph.
The Pentagon released 162 UAP files on May 8, including NASA Apollo moon photos and 1965 astronaut audio. The files were posted at war.gov/ufo under the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, or PURSUE, carrying out a directive from President Trump to declassify government records on unidentified anomalous phenomena.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement: “These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves.” The release includes documents from the FBI, State Department, NASA, and the Department of Defense, spanning incidents from 1942 through 2025.
What the files contain
The highest-profile documents are NASA transcripts and photographs from the Apollo 12 and 17 moon missions. An Apollo 17 image shows three lights in a triangular formation above the lunar surface. New US government analysis suggests the feature may represent a physical object, and the Pentagon has opened a formal investigation, obtaining the original Apollo 17 film for full analysis.
Audio from 1965 includes astronaut Frank Borman reporting a “bogey at 10 o’clock high” from his Gemini VII capsule, and Apollo 17 Mission Commander Eugene Cernan describing a “flashing” object rotating in a rhythmic pattern several miles from his capsule. Both audio clips had circulated online for years. The original NASA transcripts appear to be new public releases.
The roughly 24 videos run 41 minutes total, showing infrared footage of objects making 90-degree turns at 80 mph over Greece in 2023, a football-shaped object near Japan, and semi-transparent shapes over Syria. Most show small white objects tracked by military cameras, with no explanatory conclusions drawn.
What the Pentagon says it is withholding
Of the 162 files, 108 contain redactions. The Pentagon confirmed no redactions were made to information about the nature or existence of any reported UAP encounter. Information withheld covers witness identities, government facility locations, and military site data unrelated to UAP.
New files will be released every few weeks on a rolling basis as materials are discovered and declassified. Former President Obama said earlier this week that the government is not hiding proof of aliens, clarifying prior comments that had circulated widely online.
