Chappell Roan Song Wakes Artemis II Crew, Gets Cut Before Chorus

NASA flight controllers picked Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club" as the wake-up call for astronauts aboard Artemis II on Saturday, April 4. They stopped it after sixty seconds. Commander Reid Wiseman cracked a joke about the timing during the space agency's livestream.

"We were all eagerly awaiting the chorus," Wiseman said, prompting laughter heard in the livestream, according to USA TODAY. The Capsule Communicator promised to "try again next time" before giving the crew the rundown for the day.

Wiseman flies with three other astronauts. They departed Earth's orbit on April 2 to glimpse parts of the moon nobody has witnessed before. Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are all part of the team. They blasted off from a launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT on April 1.

A six-hour window opens today. The team will glimpse the far side of the moon — the part hidden from Earth. Sun, moon, and Orion spacecraft will line up, letting them view about 20% of the far side lit by the sun, according to NASA.

The 10-day trip circles the moon and returns them to Earth on April 11. Saturday marked the midpoint.

This marks the first crewed lunar mission since 1972. It includes the first woman and first Black astronaut to travel to the area of the moon.