Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) has transmitted an inspirational message and lyrics from Missy Elliott’s song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” to Venus, marking the first time a hip-hop song has been sent to space.
The transmission occurred at 10:05 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 12, from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, using the DSN’s advanced radio antennas.
As NASA’s most extensive telecommunication system, the DSN tracks, sends commands, and receives data from spacecraft exploring the moon and beyond. It previously transmitted The Beatles’ “Across the Universe.”
Brittany Brown from NASA’s Office of Communications initiated the collaboration, noting Missy Elliott’s history of incorporating space themes and futuristic visuals in her music.
The song travelled approximately 158 million miles (254 million kilometres) to Venus, taking nearly 14 minutes at the speed of light. The 34-meter (112-foot) DSS-13 radio dish antenna, nicknamed Venus, was used for the transmission.
Missy Elliott expressed excitement and humility at the opportunity to share her music with the universe, choosing Venus for its symbolism of strength, beauty, and empowerment.
Two upcoming NASA missions, DAVINCI and VERITAS, will explore Venus and send data back using the DSN. These missions are scheduled to launch in 2029 and 2031, respectively.
NASA’s DSN is also supporting the European Space Agency’s EnVision mission to Venus. A JPL team is developing the mission’s Venus Synthetic Aperture Radar (VenSAR).
In continuous operation since 1963, the DSN consists of three ground stations located in Goldstone, California; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia, ensuring global coverage for space communication.
Credit : NASA