Gregory Porter to perform for NASA launch
Gregory Porter is performing for the launch of NASA's Mars 2020 mission
Today, Gregory Porter will perform for the launch of NASA's historic Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission. He will give a special rendition of ‘America The Beautiful’ from his home in California, as part of the live coverage of the launch scheduled for Thursday, July 30.
Gregory Porter is the first recording artist ever to be invited by NASA to perform for a Mars mission launch.
Gregory Porter said, “I feel honoured to be invited by NASA to perform before this historic launch. I have always been inspired by space exploration ever since I was a boy, and it continues to fill me with awe when I look to the sky at night. It is wonderful to be part of this spectacular event and share in a collective moment of inter-planetary adventure with millions around the world.”
NASA’s Perseverance Rover is slated to launch to the Red Planet on July 30 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rover is designed to better understand the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient life. The mission will collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth in the future. It will also record the first ever audio from the planet and test new technology to benefit future robotic and human exploration to Mars.
The announcement of his performance coincided with the release of his single, 'Concorde'.
Gregory's sixth studio album All Rise, marks a return to his beloved original songwriting – heart-on-sleeve lyrics imbued with everyday philosophy and real-life detail, set to a stirring mix of jazz, soul, blues, gospel, and pop. The album will be released on the 28th of August.
The first launch opportunity is scheduled for no earlier than July 30, 2020, at 12:50 pm BST (7:50 a.m. EDT/11:50 a.m. UTC). The launch period, the days in which the spacecraft could launch, opens on July 30 and lasts through Aug. 15, 2020.