The European Space Agency (ESA) is set to broadcast Johann Strauss II’s famous waltz “By the Beautiful Blue Danube” into space, as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. The piece will be transmitted live from a radio antenna in Spain, which is also used for other astronomical research.
The move aims to rectify an oversight when NASA launched the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft in 1977, which carried music by Mozart but not “Blue Danube” – one of the most recognizable waltzes. The ESA says it’s a “cosmic mistake” that should be corrected.
On Saturday, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra will perform the piece, with its audio converted into an electromagnetic wave and transmitted into space at the speed of light. The music is expected to reach Voyager 1 in just 23 hours.
This marks the first time humans have broadcast music deep into space since NASA sent a Missy Elliott song to Venus last year. In 2008, the agency also released “Across the Universe” by The Beatles to coincide with its 50th anniversary.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/26/nx-s1-5411771/blue-danube-strauss-music-space-esa