— The first mission patch to directly fund research on board the International Space Station went on sale Wednesday (Nov. 5). The emblem is the first product of a long-standing but little known collaboration between the ISS National Laboratory and Margaritaville.

Yes, that Margaritaville — the lifestyle and hospitality brand inspired by the late Jimmy Buffett, whose tropical-rock style songs celebrate the themes of escape and relaxation. Buffett also championed environmental causes and had a lifelong interest in space exploration.

"He sang about space throughout his career. He talked about space throughout his career. One of his tours was titled 'Beach House on the Moon,'" said Tamara Baldanza-Dekker, chief marketing officer for Margaritaville, in an interview with collectSPACE. "Right around his 70th birthday he was asked, 'What haven't you done?' And he replied that the one thing he still wanted to do was go into space."

"He was just fascinated by space and I have a feeling he's surfing in the Milky Way right now," said Baldanza-Dekker, who worked with Buffett on the creation of the mission patch up until his death in 2023.

Based on the singer's original ideas, the collectible patch features the ISS as its orbit brings it over a tropical paradise. Buffett included both daytime and nighttime elements as a nod to the ISS encountering 16 sunrises and sunsets every day.

As an avid boater and pilot, Buffett also felt it important to incorporate a nautical compass as part of the design, further embedding his passions into the patch.

"It has been seven years in the making with some starts and stops along the way, due to a lot of different factors, but we felt that it was now time to honor Jimmy's legacy and his desire to contribute not only to space exploration, but all of the research that we can do in space to make life better on Earth," said Baldanza-Dekker. "That is what he did when he was here — he just made life better — and so here we are honoring him."

Sales of the $20 patch, along with the first in a line of related merchandise, began on the Margaritaville online store. That will soon expand to some, if not all of the company's 75 retail locations including resorts, shops and restaurants in 20 states.

"Margaritaville is a state of mind, so it's anywhere you want it to be," Baldanza-Dekker said, explaining the focus on the online shop at first.

All of the proceeds from the patch sales will be donated to the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the organization responsible for managing the ISS National Lab. This partnership aims to support ongoing research efforts, including Earth studies that address sustainable and efficient practices for years to come.

Established in 2005, the ISS National Lab has sponsored research investigations and technology demos focused on improving our knowledge about our planet, including funding remote sensing studies that leverage the vantage point of the station and projects aimed at advancing cleaning solutions where water is scarce.

"The ISS National Lab is incredibly grateful to Margaritaville for their generous commitment to advancing space-based research through the proceeds of this meaningful mission patch," said Ray Lugo, chief executive officer of CASIS, in a statement. "This contribution not only honors the spirit of Margaritaville but also supports groundbreaking R&D on board the International Space Station that aims to improve life here on Earth. It's a powerful example of how creative partnerships can help us push the boundaries of science for the benefit of all humanity."

Although it is the first ISS National Lab emblem to be sold to the public and the first to support research on the space station, the Margaritaville mission patch now joins the small collection of past CASIS insignia that were created in collaboration with celebrities and famous brands. Earlier patch partners included street artist Shepard Fairey, actor Seth Green, director Ridley Scott, Marvel Comics (featuring "Guardians of the Galaxy" characters Rocket and Groot) and Lucasfilm (starring some of the iconic Star Wars franchise droids).