A space capsule carrying human ashes on a memorial mission was meant to return safely to Earth – but instead met a very different fate
Communication was lost with the space capsule after re-entry to Earth(Image: The Exploration Company/ESA)
A space capsule carrying the ashes of 166 people has crash-landed in the ocean after its journey into space.
The spaceship, created by German aerospace startup The Exploration Company, plunged into the Pacific Ocean on June 24, with all of its cargo now lost at sea.
The company described the mission, dubbed “Mission Possible”, as a “partial success (partial failure)”. It aimed to demonstrate the capability of the company’s Nyx capsule for future space missions.
However, the cargo for this flight included the ashes and DNA of more than 166 people, which were provided by Celestis, a memorial spaceflight company based in Texas.
The memorial company aims to “celebrate, honor, and remember lives dedicated to exploration, adventure, passion, and humanity’s presence among the stars.”
It sends ashes up to space to fulfill the dying wishes of those passionate about space and astronomy.
The capsule was launched successfully and completed two orbits around Earth, but Celestis said an “anomaly occurred” and communication was lost after re-entry through the atmosphere.
The mission was described as a ‘partial success'(Image: The Exploration Company)
Charles M. Chafer, co-founder and CEO of Celestis, said in a statement: “The root cause is under investigation, resulting in the Nyx capsule impacting the Pacific Ocean and dispersing its contents at sea.
“As a result of this unforeseen event, we believe that we will not be able to recover or return the flight capsules aboard. We share in the disappointment of our families, and we offer our sincerest gratitude for their trust.”
He added: “Though we currently believe that we cannot return the flight capsules, we hope families will find some peace in knowing their loved ones were part of a historic journey, launched into space, orbited Earth, and are now resting in the vastness of the Pacific, akin to a traditional and honored sea scattering.”
The Exploration Company said on LinkedIn that the company is investigating the cause of the crash, but described the mission as a “partial success”.
It said: “This partial success reflects both ambition and the inherent risks of innovation. Leveraging the technical milestones achieved yesterday and the lessons we will extract from our ongoing investigation, we will then prepare to re-fly as soon as possible.”
In addition to the human remains, the Nyx capsule also carried cannabis plants and seeds. These were provided by Martian Grow, a citizen science project.
The project aimed to study the effects of space’s microgravity on the germination and resilience of the plant to see how crops could adapt to life on Mars.