By Alec Fernandes
A space mission intended to honor the remains of 166 individuals has encountered a tragic setback. Although the Perseverance Flight that launched on June 23 successfully reached orbit and completed two circuits around Earth, the spacecraft experienced a catastrophic failure during its planned reentry, according to a press release from Celestis Memorial Spaceflights.
Celestis markets itself as a service that sends human remains "on a journey through space" with the intent of returning them to family and friends back on Earth. This was sadly not the case during this week's trip aboard the reentry capsule Nyx, designed by a German aerospace startup called The Exploration Company. "We regret to share that an anomaly occurred during reentry, specifically, the parachute system failed, resulting in the Nyx capsule impacting the Pacific Ocean and dispersing its contents at sea," Celestis said.
Despite this blunder, the company is trying to spin the event as at least a partial success. "We hope families will find some peace in knowing their loved ones were part of a historic journey... and are now resting in the vastness of the Pacific, akin to a traditional and honored sea scattering," the press release stated.
Launching human remains into space—particularly on return journeys—is a niche practice that blends science, symbolism, and private space enterprise. The Celestis website tagline claims they have been "sending ashes and DNA to space since 1994," although this was the first mission designed to return from orbit. With space tourism's increased popularity among the uber-wealthy, the business of memorial spaceflights is also expected to grow in the coming decades.
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