On February 26, the innovative space exploration company Intuitive Machines launched its IM-2 “Freedom Payload” mission. This ambitious endeavor aims to establish a data center on the lunar south pole, meticulously designed and operated by Lonestar Data Holdings. The data center was one of the key payloads aboard the Athena moon lander, which took to the skies atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the primary goal of searching for valuable water ice that could support future lunar missions.
Despite the high hopes for the IM-2 mission, the outcome was far from perfect. Following a botched landing of a similar mission last year, Athena's landing on the Moon ended anticlimactically. Instead of reaching its intended destination, Athena touched down approximately 100 miles away, ultimately tipping over and cutting short its mission. However, not all was lost: Lonestar’s Freedom Data Center remained intact, successfully carrying eight terabytes of material intended as a backup to Earth storage. Among this fascinating collection was a notable song by Imagine Dragons.
While there are numerous exceptional songs celebrating the planets, the moon, and the vastness of outer space, none have been penned by Imagine Dragons—until now. In August 2023, the band released the song “Children Of The Sky” as part of the soundtrack for the popular sci-fi RPG Starfield. Frontman Dan Reynolds passionately sings lines that evoke inspiration, such as, “We’re children of the sky, flying up so high / Let me be that one to find the brightest sun.” If the IM-2 mission had gone as planned, “Children Of The Sky” would have marked a historic milestone as the first song broadcast from the moon.
Before the mission, Lonestar investor Ryan Micheletti expressed a visionary goal: “Our aim 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.” However, given Athena’s unfortunate state post-landing, it remains uncertain whether “Children Of The Sky” and its accompanying music video can still be transmitted back to Earth. On a positive note, we can take comfort in knowing that at least one Imagine Dragons song is safeguarded against any natural disasters on our planet.
Remarkably, Lonestar’s materials were reportedly the only surviving payload from the IM-2 mission. These materials are encased in a shell designed to last for “more than a millennium.” “Children Of The Sky” is in esteemed company, following the legacy of last year’s inaugural lander, Odysseus, which included the Quantum Aerospace AstroVault. This vault features music recordings from legendary artists like Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, and Elvis Presley.
Starfield composer Inon Zur celebrated the mission’s achievement, stating, “Success, we’re on the Moon! 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, the IM-2 mission wasn’t the only setback for SpaceX recently. On the same day, the company’s massive Starship spacecraft exploded just minutes after liftoff from Texas. Yet, it’s worth noting that just days earlier, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 successfully touched down on the Moon's northeastern near side, marking the first private mission to land a spacecraft on the Moon in an upright position.
