The 2025 Hollywood Independent Music Awards announced the winner of global song search for the Ghost rocket mission theme song in Hollywood
The winning song for the Ghost Rocket Mission theme was announced live on stage at the 2025 Hollywood Independent Music Awards (HIMA) in Los Angeles, CA, on July 30th. The event, where music meets space, celebrated the fusion of science and creativity in a spectacular display of global talent.
Earlier this year, Andøya Space, in collaboration with NASA, Ghost Rocket Music, and HIMA, launched a global search for a theme song to commemorate the launch of the Ghost Rocket mission. The mission, a student-driven initiative, is a bilateral rocket project in partnership with NASA. Students from the USA, Norway, and Puerto Rico have been involved in building and constructing various research experiments that will launch into space from Norway in November 2025.
“We set the deadline for submission as May 16th, and we received several hundred entries,” said Kolbjørn Blix, VP Sub-Orbital at Andøya Space. “The response was absolutely fantastic, far surpassing my expectations.”
All submitted songs were carefully reviewed by a panel of judges who selected ten finalists.
A platform for emerging talent
“All ten finalists were invited to the HIMA event,” said Luke Danelon, founder and leader of Ghost Rocket Music. “They represented the top 0.5% of submissions from around the world. Being present at the HIMA event is an invaluable networking opportunity that they may not have had otherwise. They are already winners.”
Blix further acknowledged the significance of the event.
“I want to thank every participant in this global song search,” he said. “I also want to extend my gratitude to NASA, Ghost Rocket Music, and HIMA. Empowering the next generation of explorers is crucial not just for Andøya Space, but for the world. This global song search has highlighted the importance of students, creativity, science, technology, and space.”
The Winning Song: ‘Ava’ by Elle Márjá Eira
The winner of the global song search was revealed live at the HIMA awards show. “It was an honor to discover the winner from hundreds of global submissions,” said Luke Danelon. “Similar to the voting process at the HIMA awards show, we had a voting committee for the Ghost Rocket song search. Every song was carefully listened to, and one clear winner emerged.”
The song that was unanimously chosen by the committee was “Ava” by Elle Márjá Eira. “It was clear to all of us that ‘Ava’ was the perfect fit for this mission,” Danelon continued. “I wholeheartedly agree with the committee’s decision, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate global unity, including the American, Canadian, and Norwegian music and science communities.”
Elle Márjá Eira was present at the event to receive her prestigious award in front of a sold-out crowd at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards.
Photos: Albert L. Ortega / Sheri Determan; Provided by Ghost Rocket Music
Looking ahead to november’s launch
“This song search began with a question back in 2019,” explained Blix. “When the student rocket mission was given the green light, we were brainstorming names and needed a suitable mission patch. A quick search led me to Ghost Rocket Music, and after explaining the project to Luke Danelon, the excitement snowballed from there.”
The GHOST rocket has recently completed its final assembly at NASA Wallops and is on schedule for its launch in Norway this November.
“The rocket will lift off from Andøya Space’s suborbital launch site,” said Blix. “The launch attempt will be live streamed on our YouTube channel, along with the winning theme song. It’s going to be an exciting event, and as Luke said about the finalists, the students participating in this mission are already winners, regardless of the outcome of the launch.”
About Andøya Space
Andøya Space is an innovative space exploration company focused on advancing space science and technology. Through collaborations with global space agencies and institutions, Andøya Space is dedicated to empowering the next generation of explorers.
About Ghost Rocket Music
Ghost Rocket Music is a forward-thinking music production company focused on the intersection of music, space, and science. Founded by Luke Danelon, the company is committed to bringing innovative music experiences to the world.
GHOST is a student-oriented research rocket that will be launched from Andøya Space in November 2025. It is a two-stage rocket that will fly up to an altitude of 248 kilometers as part of a larger research campaign organized by NASA.
Learn more about the GHOST mission here: