Artemis II is a mission test flight to orbit the Moon, marking the first human mission to deep space since 1972. The four-person crew was launched on April 1 and landed off the coast of San Diego on April 10.

Each morning of the 10-day mission, NASA wakes up the Artemis II crew on Orion with a new song. More than 252,756 miles away from the Earth, the songs provide a boost for their day.

A long-standing NASA tradition, the music serves as a connection back to the astronauts’ families and friends back on Earth, providing comfort, safety, and motivation as they complete their mission.

Songs include favorites from both the crew and their families, with everything from modern hits such as “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan to classics like “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie. 

Several of the featured artists showed their support over social media. Glass Animals, whose song “Tokyo Drifting” was featured in the playlist, shared their joy on Instagram. “This is the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life ever.” 

Denzel Curry, a collaborator on “Tokyo Drifting,” expressed his excitement over the news as well, stating on X that he was happy to be the “First Rapper Played in SPACE.”

The tradition dates back to the 1960s during the Gemini VI mission and continued into several other exploration efforts later that decade, including Apollo 10, Gemini VII, and the famous moon landing, Apollo 11. It has persisted since some of our earliest exploration missions and will continue to in future trips.