Hip-hop icon Missy Elliot has once again made history by becoming the first artist to have her song transmitted to Venus through NASA's Deep Space Network. According to the NASA website, the transmission took place at 10:05 AM PDT on Friday, July 12, at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Elliot expressed her excitement on Instagram, stating, "YOOO this is crazy! We just went #OutOfThisWorld with @nasa and sent the FIRST hip hop song into space through the Deep Space Network (DSN). My song The Rain has officially been transmitted all the way to Venus, the planet that symbolises strength, beauty and empowerment. The sky is not the limit, it's just the beginning."
NASA explained that the DSN consists of a series of large radio antennas that enable missions to track, send commands, and receive scientific data from spacecraft exploring the Moon and beyond. Missy Elliot's song, The Rain, is only the second song ever to be transmitted into space, preceded by The Beatles' Across The Universe.
Brittany Brown, Director of the Digital and Technology Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, highlighted the synergy between space exploration and Missy Elliott's art, noting her history of incorporating space-themed narratives and futuristic visuals in her music videos. This collaboration, Brown said, is a perfect fit for both parties.
The song traveled 158 million miles (254 million kilometers) from Earth to Venus, taking nearly 14 minutes to reach its destination at the speed of light. The transmission was conducted by the 34-meter (112-foot) wide Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California.
Missy Elliot chose Venus as the destination because it symbolises strength, beauty, and empowerment, aligning with her personal values and artistic message.
