Inaugural Astronaut Rock Star Awards to Launch on National Astronaut Day (May 5th, 2024)

Today, uniphi space agency, a division of women-owned+led uniphigood, LLC, announced the inaugural Astronaut Rock Star Awards. Launching as part of the May 5, 2024 National Astronaut Day celebration, these will be the first to be awarded annually. The National Astronaut Day movement, which honors and celebrates Astronauts for their heroic bravery and trailblazing spirit, has served as a unifying force in culture and has been commemorated by a vast range of key Space agencies, government organizations, celebrities, musicians and Astronauts themselves. In keeping with the tradition of other Astronaut and Space related celebrations, May 5th was selected for this significant date in history in 1961 when Astronaut Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. became the First American in Space, aboard the Freedom 7 Space capsule.

The Astronaut Rock Star Awards will honor the intersection of Space exploration, STEAM education, and the enduring connection between Astronauts and music. In a nod to the rich tradition of musicians finding inspiration in Space exploration, and Astronauts including music as an integral part of their journey, the Astronaut Rock Star Awards embrace this connection and take inspiration from past Earth & Space collaborations like those with Eddie Vedder, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Post Malone, Coldplay, Garth Brooks, Kraftwerk, BLKBOK, Peter Gabriel, and exemplified by the iconic Voyager Golden Record, the Chandra X-Ray “Sonification” Project & beyond.

The awards will recognize Astronauts, individuals and organizations who push the boundaries of awareness, understanding, and support for Space exploration and STEAM education, as well as reinforcing the importance of why Space exploration is a critical aspect to make life better for all.

“Our team at uniphi has always talked about ‘what’s next’ to continue to brighten the spotlight on National Astronaut Day, in an authentic way that is true to the spirit in which it was founded, which is to amplify the stories and accomplishments of Astronauts through music and culture. Now that the movement to honor and celebrate Astronauts has taken on a life of its own, it was the right time to launch something new,” commented uniphi Founder, President & CEO Annie Balliro.

“Personally I have been so fortunate in my career to have had the privilege not only to work with Astronauts, but also an incredible roster of musicians over the years - a source of much inspiration and gracious support in how National Astronaut Day has been celebrated. The idea for the Astronaut Rock Star Awards, and specifically the idea of music plaques being given in recognition, came from a moment where I was hanging plaques from my music career on a wall…There were plaques for accomplishments in music given to recording artists, plaques for philanthropic support given to musicians and then I thought, hey if MTV can give out ‘Astronaut statues’ to Musicians, why can’t we give out traditional music plaques to Astronauts?!”

The Astronaut Rock Star Awards, 2024 as the first annual, will be a founding cornerstone of National Astronaut Day every year. There are three categories;

Diamond Award:

Reserved for legacy Astronauts, given by Astronauts, whose historical contributions have paved the way for future exploration.

Platinum Award:

Presented to Astronauts, given by Rock Stars, who have made significant contributions to fostering public interest in Space exploration in the present day.

Gold Award:

Given to students, charity organizations, individuals or groups actively working to advance STEAM/STEAM education, particularly as related to Space. In addition to a plaque, Gold Award recipients will also earn an event with an Astronaut to support their efforts to inspire future gen interest in STEM/STEAM.

The awards themselves take the form of traditional music plaques with Space themes, reminiscent of the iconic Moonman awarded by MTV for music videos. Through these awards, uniphi aims to honor and celebrate those who embody the spirit of exploration and discovery, inspiring others to reach for the stars.

Stay tuned for more information to be announced about the Astronaut Rock Star Awards at NationalAstronautDay.com. 

About uniphigood, LLC (uniphi):

uniphi good, LLC is a woman-owned+led company founded in 2009 by Annie Balliro, who serves as President & CEO. Through its uniphi space agency division, the company is a “one-stop” management agency for booking 100+ world-class Astronauts Speakers for Speaking Engagements, Private Events, Endorsements, Personal Appearances, Corporate Events, Conventions, Seminars, Conferences, Collaborations and Fundraisers. uniphi’s philosophy is based on an ideal of selfless (u), universal (ni), philanthropy (phi), and the premise that if each individual’s actions were based on an idea to help only others, the amount of goodwill and support that would inherently benefit each one of us would be far greater as a whole.

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Rebecca Shapiro (rshapiro@shorefire.com)

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