In September 2009, Guy Laliberté undertook a groundbreaking, ground-leaving adventure of a lifetime. The founder of Cirque du Soleil® and ONE DROP™ became Canada’s first private explorer in space and the first to engage in a Poetic Social Mission in space.
During his 11-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Laliberté’s unique social/humanitarian mission had one clear purpose: to raise humanity’s awareness of water-related issues.
Travelling has always been a part of Laliberté’s life and he had been researching the possibility of space travel since 2004. That being said, the timing and purpose needed to be right.
The moment finally arrived in September 2009, almost at the same time that Cirque du Soleil performed in Russia for the very first time in 25 years. This became a symbolic moment for Laliberté since Russia is where he trained for his voyage and from where the Soyuz TMA-16 rocket launched him and the Expedition 21 crew into space. The timing could not have been more appropriate!
The objective of Laliberté’s mission in space was also pertinent: to make an impact on how water, our most precious resource, is protected and shared. To reach this goal, he applied the tools he has used so well for most of his life to bring about change: arts and culture.
Information about our world’s water-related issues were conveyed using a singular poetic approach. The results seem quite convincing since the messages he transmitted from the ISS succeeded in building awareness for the initiatives and objectives of ONE DROP, as well as the organization’s dream of "Water for all, all for water."