Ubiquitous rockers Imagine Dragons have extended their reach even further, with their music officially touching down on earth’s moon.
Last month, it was revealed that ambitious space startup Lonestar Data Holdings was planning a rocket launch to land the first data center on the moon. If the launch was a success, then one of its first orders of business was to transmit a song back to earth, with Imagine Dragons’ Starfield theme “Children of the Earth” chosen as the lucky track.
“Our goal is to inspire the next generation of kids to be excited about the future of space and technology, which is why we chose ‘Children of the Sky’ as the first song in history to be broadcast from the Moon,” Lonestar investor Ryan Micheletti said in a statement at the time.
Notably, the plan to put music on the moon isn’t exactly a new one. Just last year, the Odysseus craft landed on the moon, bringing with it digitized recordings of musical icons such as Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Sly & the Family Stone, Bob Marley, Janis Joplin, The Who and many more. However, the goal of broadcasting music back to earth from the moon was set to be a first time occurrence.
The Athena spacecraft was launched on Feb. 26 with a planned landing date of March 6. Upon initial news of the touchdown, Inon Zur (who composed “Children of the Earth” with Imagine Dragons), took to social media to express his gratitude. “Success, we’re on the Moon!” he wrote. “Following Athena’s touchdown on the lunar surface, our friends at Lonestar successfully transmitted ‘Children of the Sky’ song and lyrics to their data center on the Moon. The song will now be on the Moon…forever!!”
However, on Friday (March 7), it was reported that the Athena lander (built by Texas company Intuitive Machines), did indeed land on the moon the day prior, albeit on its side and 820 feet short of its intended target. The result was largely the same as the Odysseus’ last year, where a hard landing compromised a landing leg and resulted in an early end to the mission.
Similarly, Intuitive Machines have since stated the most recent mission has officially come to an end due to the failed landing. “The mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission,” the company said in a statement.
As a result of the failed landing and the premature end to the mission, Imagine Dragons have ultimately not managed to obtain the honor of having the first song broadcast to earth from the moon. Meanwhile, Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus has claimed the company may hold off on attempts for a third lunar landing which is currently scheduled for 2026.