How long does it take to reach Venus?
For Missy Elliott’s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” it took nearly 14 minutes to travel all the way to the planet of love, a distance of about 158 million miles, NASA announced Monday. The agency transmitted the song to the planet via radio antennas near Barstow, California, typically used for missions to track spacecraft, as well as send commands and receive data.
“My song ‘The Rain’ has officially been transmitted all the way to Venus, the planet that symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment,” Elliott wrote on X. “The sky is not the limit, it’s just the beginning.”
NASA did not say why it chose to transmit a song into space again — just the second time after The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” was sent to the North Star, Polaris, in 2008. Culturally, though, that the song was sent at all may signal Elliott’s position as one of Earth’s singular artists. If aiming to serenade the aliens, why wouldn’t one do so with Elliott rapping over “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” Ann Peebles’ 1973 standout single?
The artist plays with space iconography in her work often, something NASA nodded to in a statement about the transmission. NASA pitched ideas to Elliott about collaborating with the agency, before settling on this effort.
“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,” said Brittany Brown, a director in NASA’s communications office.
Though transmissions of songs are rare, NASA has sent music to space in other ways. Most notably, aboard Voyager 1 and 2 in 1977, NASA included a gold-plated copper phonograph record with “sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.”
Elliott has been receiving long-due recognition here on Earth, too. In 2019, the rapper became the first woman hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Four years later, she became the first female rapper to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She even has a street named after her in her home state of Virginia.
The rapper’s 2024 North American tour — her first as headliner — is called “Out of This World” and features Elliott frequently donning chrome and studded costumes, echoing the futuristic aesthetics of ‘80s space movies. Even the music video for single “Sock It 2 Me,” from her 1997 debut album, takes place in space. Outfitted in cartoonish space suits in varying colors, Elliott raps while soaring through the galaxy.
NASA’s transmission of a hip-hop song to Venus is a first for the agency. But for Missy Elliott, you could say she’s already been to space.