--- title: "Humankind Has Infected the Moon With Imagine Dragons" description: "In an effort to send Earth's best to the Moon, the private space company Intuitive Machines succeeded in some ways — and failed in others." date: "2025-03-11" modified: "2025-03-11" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/humankind-moon-lander-imagine-dragons" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Space" tags: - "data centers" - "intuitive machines" - "lunar lander" - "music" --- # Humankind Has Infected the Moon With Imagine Dragons ![In an effort to send Earth's best to the Moon, the private space company Intuitive Machines succeeded in some ways — and failed in others.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* In an effort to send Earth's best, the private space company Intuitive Machines succeeded in some ways — and failed in others. During its botched mission that saw its Athena lunar lander [tip over and die]() in a crater, the Houston-based company did manage, [as *Stereogum* reports](), to deploy one of its payloads: an eight-terabyte data center that's home to a song by the exceedingly generic alt-rock outfit Imagine Dragons. And no, we're not talking about a [smash hit]() like "Radioactive." Among the material on Athena's storage center, which is operated by the company Lonestar Data Holdings and acts as a backup for data on terra firma, is the band's 2023 single "[Children Of The Sky]()." Recorded for the same year's space-themed video game "Starfield," the track sounds like pretty much everything else Imagine Dragons has put out — not exactly bad, but definitely neither good nor memorable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHfIkyLh-Ew According to [St. Petersburg, Florida's *Fox 13*](), the data center was built to withstand the Moon's harsh conditions and house data safely away from natural and human-made disasters on Earth. As such, it appears to be the only surviving payload that launched with Athena atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at the end of February. Despite the prog-rock-meets-elevator-music vibes the song gives off, people involved with the project are extremely stoked that it was part of the mission. "Our goal is to inspire the next generation of kids to be excited about the future of space and technology," Lonestar Data Holdings investor Ryan Micheletti said in a [statement]() before the launch, "which is why we chose 'Children of the Sky' as the first song in history to be broadcast from the Moon." As of now, the logistics of the venture seem kind of iffy given that Athena is now kaputt. All the same, the Imagine Dragons joint is, indeed, sitting in a data center on the Moon, joining legendary singles from such heavyweights as Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Marley that were [deposited on the lunar surface]() last year by another tipped-over Intuitive Machines lander. (No, [we are not kidding]().) Despite Athena's sad death, video game composer and Imagine Dragons collaborator [Inon Zur suggested in an X post]() that the mission wasn't a total failure because Lonestar had "successfully transmitted 'Children of the Sky' song and lyrics to their data center on the Moon" — a claim we can't verify. "The song will now be on the Moon… forever!!" the composer enthused. Clearly "success" is in the eye of the beholder here — but hey, at least someone's happy about Intuitive Machines' second lander flop. **More on the Moon:** [*Elon Musk Trying to Scrap NASA's Moon Program*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()