A once-classified CIA operation is back in the spotlight following resurfaced claims suggesting that a civilisation of human-like aliens may exist on the Moon.
The astonishing revelation comes from Project Stargate, a Cold War-era U.S. intelligence program that investigated “remote viewing” — a form of extrasensory perception in which individuals attempted to psychically observe distant locations.
Among the program’s most prominent figures was Ingo Swann, whose detailed account has reignited debate decades later.
Swann first shared his experience in his 1998 book Penetration: The Question of Extraterrestrial and Human Telepathy.
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He claimed that in 1975, he was recruited by unidentified intelligence agents and taken to a hidden underground facility under strict secrecy.
There, a government operative known only as “Mr Axelrod” assigned him an unusual task: “We want you to go to the Moon for us, and describe what you see.”
According to Swann, what he perceived remotely on the Moon’s far side was anything but ordinary.
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He wrote: “I found towers, machinery, lights of different colours, strange-looking buildings”. He added: “I found bridges whose function I couldn't figure out. There were a lot of domes of various sizes.”
More strikingly, Swann claimed he witnessed humanoid beings — apparently all male and unclothed — engaged in excavation or mining activities within lunar craters. He noted: “Two of them pointed in my direction”.
“How could they do that… unless… they have some kind of high psychic perceptions, too?”
Swann alleged that U.S. officials were not surprised by the vision. When he questioned why no one had returned to the Moon since the early 1970s, he offered a theory: “They somehow have told you to stay away. That’s why you are resorting to psychic perceptions. They are not friendly, are they?”
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Axelrod’s response: “You are approximately correct… but not completely so.”
While no lunar missions conducted by NASA, Roscosmos, CNSA, JAXA, or ISRO have ever confirmed extraterrestrial structures or life on the Moon, Swann’s account continues to intrigue researchers of unconventional intelligence efforts.
The story has gained renewed attention in light of NASA’s renewed focus on human space exploration. In May 2025, the Trump Administration shifted funding priorities by cutting $6 billion from broader space operations — including the Mars Sample Return mission — while allocating over $1 billion toward manned spaceflight programs.
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The official goal is to return American astronauts to the Moon and eventually launch crewed missions to Mars. But Swann’s decades-old account raises a provocative question: if his claims contain even a shred of truth, what (or who) might be waiting for us when we return?