To mark the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II, the Vienna Tourist Board and the European Space Agency (ESA), with the support of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, are sending Strauss’ masterpiece “By the Beautiful Blue Danube” into space at the speed of light. On May 31, 2025, the “Waltz into Space” mission will correct the mistake made in 1977, when the unofficial anthem of space was not sent into space on the Voyager Golden Record.
A huge moment for mankind – with one flaw: in 1977, NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2 space probes were sent into space with 27 pieces of music, referred to as the “Golden Records”. They were records comprising a collection of mankind’s greatest achievements. The Danube Waltz, the musical epitome of weightlessness in space in popular culture, was not included – something unimaginable today. To mark the Strauss anniversary year, the Vienna Tourist Board and the European Space Agency (ESA) are using modern technology to correct a historical mistake.
On May 31, 2025 at 20:30 CET, an interstellar concert by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra will take place at the MAK Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. Under the direction of chief conductor Petr Popelka, the orchestra will perform a selection of galactic-themed works. The highlight of the concert will be Johann Strauss II’s Danube Waltz, which will be transmitted in real time to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Deep Space Antenna DSA 2 in Cebreros, Spain. From there, the waltz will be transmitted into the universe as an electromagnetic wave at the speed of light in the direction of Voyager 1. 23 hours later, the signal will catch up with NASA’s space probe, which has been traveling since 1977 to convey earthly masterpieces to potential extraterrestrial beings. The final chord of the Danube Waltz will conclude the broadcast into space, which will be accessible worldwide via the livestream at space.vienna.info.
