Donauwalzer now in space: Vienna's cosmic message to the stars!

Donauwalzer now in space: Vienna's cosmic message to the stars!

Wien, Österreich - On June 1, 2025, an extraordinary mission reached its peak: The European Space Organization (ESA) sent Johann Strauss' famous waltz "on the beautiful Blue Danube" as an electromagnetic wave in space. The transmission took place at 8:36 p.m. from the ESA floor station DSA 2 in Cebreros, Spain, and overtook the NASA room probe Voyager 1, which is about 23 hours and 3 minutes away. This mission, known as "Waltz into Space", was carried out together by Wientourism, the ESA and the Viennese symphonists in order to send the music as a message to potential extraterrestrial beings and to make a cultural contribution to interstellar communication.

As part of the event, over 13,000 names of ambassadors from all over the world, including the Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and Mayor Michael Ludwig, were sent to space. In order to underline the cultural importance of the moment, there was a concert in the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) under the direction of Petr Popelka, accompanied by impressive light choreography. A light beam from the roof of the Mak symbolized the message of Vienna, which was connected to the transfer to space.

cultural meaning and historical correction

The idea of sending the Danube Walzer into space is not only a festive act - it also corrects a failure of space history. The waltz was not taken into account in 1977 on the “golden records” of Voyager 1 and 2 missions, which was referred to as “cosmatic mistakes”. Norbert Kettner, director of the Vienna Tourism Association, emphasized that Strauss ’work did not deserve the absence on the spaces probes, especially since it is closely associated with the film" 2001: Odyssey in Space "by Stanley Kubrick, who associated the piece with space travel.

Josef Aschbacher, General Director of the ESA, explained the importance of this transmission because it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the ESA and the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II. This mission shows that human art and culture can be transmitted through space and time. Even if the signal will travel to Voyager 1 at the speed of light, it could potentially also get to other areas of the universe.

participation and global interest

Another impressive aspect of this mission was the participation of music fans from over 90 countries in the "Spacenotes" campaign. This made it possible for the participants to connect to one of 13,743 grades of the Danube Waltz that were awarded in just 51 days. The event was transferred live in several places, including the Vienna beach bar Herrmann and the planetario Madrid, which made it into a festive worldwide celebration of music and culture.

The innovative strength of the ESA and the variety of Viennese cultural heritage come together here in order not only to beat a bridge between music and space, but also to tell a broad audience a story that goes far beyond the borders of our planet. The Danube Walzer is not only appreciated as a musical piece, but is now also considered an unofficial hymn of space.

For further details about this historical transmission, read more at wien.gv.at , Digital Journal and npr .