Overview

• Johann Strauss II’s ‘Blue Danube’ will be transmitted into space via ESA’s deep-space antenna in Spain to honor the composer’s 200th birthday.
• The transmission on May 31, 2025, coincides with the European Space Agency’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
• A pre-recorded version performed by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra will be used to minimize technical risks during the broadcast.
• The radio signal will travel at the speed of light, reaching the distance of NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft in 23 hours.
• This event highlights music’s connection to space exploration and addresses Strauss’s exclusion from the 1977 Voyager Golden Records.