Astronaut Sarah Gillis, from the Polaris Dawn mission, has released a unique music video from space, featuring her performance of “Rey’s Theme” from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The video, titled “Harmony of Resilience,” was shared on September 13, 2024, and highlights Gillis playing the violin in zero gravity aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft. This creative project aims to support childhood cancer research, in collaboration with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and El Sistema USA.
👩🚀La membre de l’équipage de Polaris Dawn et violoniste Sarah Gillis (@Gillis_SarahE) a joué son violon dans la capsule Dragon pendant la mission Polaris Dawn. 🚀
Elle a ensuite envoyé son enregistrement via Starlink, pour composer la musique de Starwars “Rey’s Theme” de John… pic.twitter.com/Q1c7yAM6hy
— Alex Xplore (@AlexXplore) September 13, 2024
The Polaris Dawn mission, which began on September 10, 2024, has already marked several significant achievements. The crew reached a record altitude of 870 miles (1,400.7 kilometers) from Earth and conducted the first-ever private spacewalk on September 12.
They also used SpaceX’s Starlink satellites to post images on X (formerly Twitter), showcasing their mission from orbit. The photos include snapshots of the astronauts inside their capsule and stunning views of Earth from space.
Hello Earth –
We are so grateful for all the support! Please enjoy two recent photos from our mission and stay tuned for our next message 🎶
Sent to you from space over a beam of Starlink laser light 🛰️ – Crew of Polaris Dawn pic.twitter.com/KkeZw1yAoT
— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 12, 2024
This mission, notable for its non-ISS-bound trajectory, is set to conclude its five-day journey this weekend. Polaris Dawn is the second orbital flight led by Jared Isaacman, who also commanded the Inspiration4 mission in 2021. Upcoming Polaris missions are expected to push further boundaries in human space exploration, including the potential for crewed Starship flights.