Roscosmos State Corporation stated that American astronauts are visiting the Moon, a claim presented by Yuri Borisov during a Government Hour in the State Duma. The remark framed the event as a historical milestone and highlighted its lasting implications for how nations collaborate and compete in space exploration. The assertion from the head of Russia’s space agency underscored the moment as part of the record of spaceflight history and its consequences for international partnerships and strategic interests in space.
When asked to confirm whether Americans had indeed set foot on the lunar surface, Borisov provided one concrete data point. He mentioned that part of the lunar soil was once supplied to Russia by the United States, a sample reportedly collected on a lunar mission. This reference to the material exchange touched on questions of provenance and sparked discussions about how lunar samples are tracked, tested, and verified within a broader framework that has evolved since the early era of lunar exploration.
Borisov stressed that the lunar soil, after examination by scientists at the Russian Academy of Sciences, was shown to originate from the Moon. He indicated that the analyses conducted by Russian research institutions supported a lunar origin, reinforcing the view that these samples came from Earth’s natural satellite as part of an earlier exchange or mission sequence. The emphasis was on substantiating the Moon’s connection to the material through scientific checks and historical context.
In historical terms, the Apollo program stands as a watershed in human spaceflight, with Apollo 11 achieving the first crewed landing on the Moon in 1969. That mission yielded rocks and regolith samples that were studied to advance understanding of the Moon’s geology and history, establishing a benchmark for later lunar missions and fueling international interest in lunar science and exploration.
More recently, China has pursued lunar sample return efforts under the Chang’e program, demonstrating the capability to collect soil from the far side of the Moon and return it to Earth for analysis. These missions contribute to a growing body of knowledge about the Moon’s composition and spatial variation, shaping debates about landing site selection, scientific goals, and the viability of extended lunar exploration. While not every mission returns samples, the ability to bring lunar material back to Earth remains a core objective of planetary science and international space collaboration. The historical arc also includes programs such as the Meteor project and Luna-26, which have enriched the understanding of Moon geology and the dynamics of near‑Earth space initiatives.