The European Space Agency (ESA) is broadcasting Johann Strauss II's "The Blue Danube" waltz into deep space on May 31, 2025. This event commemorates ESA's 50th anniversary and the bicentennial of Strauss's birth. The broadcast is targeted towards NASA's Voyager 1 probe, currently 15.5 billion miles from Earth.
Performed by the Wiener Symphoniker, the transmission originates from ESA's Deep Space Antenna in Spain. A 15-minute livestream is available on the event's official website and YouTube channel. The mission aims to send the Viennese Waltz echoing through space, correcting its omission from NASA's Voyager Golden Records in 1977.
Voyager 1, launched in 1977, is now the most distant human-made object from Earth. The signal takes approximately 23 hours and 3 minutes to reach the spacecraft. This event marks a unique intersection of art, science, and space exploration, celebrating both ESA's milestone and Strauss's legacy.