NASA Beams Missy Elliott’s 'The Rain' to Space

HOUSTON, TX - NASA made history on Friday, July 12, by transmitting the hip-hop song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” by Missy Elliott to Venus, marking the first time a hip-hop song has been beamed to space. 

The transmission was sent at 10:05 a.m. from the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California via NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN).

The DSN, part of NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program, features an array of large radio antennas used for tracking, sending commands, and receiving data from spacecraft exploring the Moon and beyond. Previously, the DSN had transmitted only one other song into space, making this event a significant milestone for both NASA and the hip-hop genre.

“Both space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art have been about pushing boundaries,” said Brittany Brown, director, Digital and Technology Division, Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington, who initially pitched ideas to Missy’s team to collaborate with the agency. “Missy has a track record of infusing space-centric storytelling and futuristic visuals in her music videos so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world is truly fitting.”

The song traveled approximately 158 million miles from Earth to Venus, Elliott’s favorite planet, at the speed of light, taking nearly 14 minutes to reach its destination. The transmission was carried out by the 34-meter-wide Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish antenna at the DSN’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California.

Elliott’s music career started more than 30 years ago, and the DSN has been communicating with spacecraft for over 60 years. Now, thanks to the network, Elliott’s music has traveled far beyond her Earth-bound fans to a different world.  

“I still can’t believe I’m going out of this world with NASA through the Deep Space Network when ‘The Rain’ (Supa Dupa Fly) becomes the first ever hip-hop song to transmit to space,” said Elliott. “I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment, and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share my art and message with the universe.”

Two NASA missions, selected in 2021, will explore Venus and send data back to Earth using the DSN.

DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging), led out of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is slated to launch no earlier than 2029.

The VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy), launching no earlier than 2031, is led out of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.