As NASA’s Artemis II crew made their history-making journey around the far side of the Moon, they weren’t travelling in silence.

They had a soundtrack.

The space agency has now shared the official Spotify playlist that helped wake and accompany the astronauts during their remarkable 10-day mission — proving that even on one of humanity’s most extraordinary journeys, music still has the power to make space feel a little more like home.

Among the tracks selected were Queen and David Bowie’s iconic Under Pressure, CeeLo Green’s Working Class Heroes (Work), Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan, and In a Daydream by the Freddy Jones Band. Each song was chosen either by the crew themselves or, in some cases, by their families back on Earth — a deeply personal touch that adds warmth to an already historic mission.

The tradition of playing music in space stretches back more than half a century.

NASA first began using music during the Gemini missions in the 1960s, with wake-up songs becoming an established ritual from the Apollo era onward. Since then, astronauts have been greeted with everything from The Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun to Tom Petty’s Learning to Fly and even earlier plays of Under Pressure on shuttle missions.

Beyond the fun of the playlist itself, music serves an important purpose in space. It helps astronauts keep a sense of routine, boosts morale during long days in isolation, and offers an emotional connection to the people waiting for them back on Earth.

In a mission filled with breathtaking views and historic firsts, it’s perhaps this small human detail that resonates most: even while orbiting the Moon, a great song can still lift the spirit.

References

• • NASA’s official Artemis II wake-up playlist on Spotify
  • CBS News: NASA drops Artemis II moon mission playlist
  • Space.com: Moon music and the Artemis II wake-up songs
  • NASA / Artemis II mission overview and wake-up song tradition

Listen to the playlist on Spotify below: