A space capsule carrying the ashes of more than 160 people \u2014 and a stash of cannabis seeds \u2014 was lost when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean after two orbits around the Earth.<\/p>\n
The Exploration Company (TEC), a German start-up, launched the Nyx capsule\u2019s \u201cMission Possible\u201d on June 23. Its precious cargo included the remains of 166 people, whose ashes were sent into orbit through Celestis, a Texas-based space burial company<\/a>. <\/p>\n While the departed souls had smooth sailing for two successful orbits around Earth, \u201can anomaly occurred, and the vehicle was lost shortly after re-entry,\u201d Celestis co-founder and CEO Charles M. Chafer, wrote on its website<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThe root cause is under investigation, resulting in the Nyx capsule impacting the Pacific Ocean and dispersing its contents at sea,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n \u201cAs a result of this unforeseen event, we believe that we will not be able to recover or return the flight capsules aboard.\u201d <\/p>\n The Nyx shuttle, launched by The Exploration Company, crashed into the Pacific Ocean, losing the remains of more than 166 people \u2014 and a stash of cannabis seeds. Space X<\/p>\n TEC said the capsule was \u201claunched successfully, powered the payloads nominally in-orbit, stabilized itself after separation with the launcher, re-entered and re-established communication after black out,\u201d it wrote on LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n When the capsule returned to Earth\u2019s orbit, the company suddenly \u201clost communication\u201d with it \u201ca few minutes before splash down,\u201d it added. <\/p>\n The materials on board the capsule have not been recovered since its crash landing in the Pacific, the company confirmed.<\/p>\n The precious cargo was sent into orbit through Celestis, a Texas-based space burial company. Space X<\/p>\n \u201cWe apologize to all our clients who entrusted us with their payloads.\u201d<\/p>\n Chafer said Celestis shares \u201cin the disappointment of our families, and we offer our sincerest gratitude for their trust.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhile there were many successful milestones achieved \u2014 launch, orbit, and controlled reentry \u2014 this was the first Celestis mission designed to return from orbit, and we recognize the bravery and ambition it required from all involved. We also recognize that no technical achievement replaces the profound personal meaning this service holds for our families,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n All the cargo was lost at sea. The Exploration Company<\/p>\n The ashes were lost alongside a collection of cannabis plant matter and seeds, Popular Mechanics<\/a> reported. The plant was contributed by the citizen science project Martian Grow that seeks to \u201cmake science free again\u201d and ultimately farm cannabis on Mars, according to its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n TEC has only sent one other capsule to space before Nyx, according to its website.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been pushing boundaries in record time and cost. 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,\u201d TEC assured.<\/p>\n Chafer said Celestis was in contact with the families \u201cto offer support and discuss possible next steps\u201d \u2014 and hoped they would \u201cfind 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. <\/p>\n \u201cWe remain committed to serving with transparency, compassion, and care.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A space capsule carrying the ashes of more than 160 people \u2014 and a stash of cannabis seeds…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":39679,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[1749,31723,3344,31724,159,783,23193,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-39678","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-cannabis","9":"tag-cremation","10":"tag-marijuana","11":"tag-pacific-ocean","12":"tag-science","13":"tag-space","14":"tag-space-program","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114798349789557939","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}