Hundreds of families who paid considerable money for a unique way to honor their deceased loved ones experienced bitter disappointment. A capsule containing the ashes and DNA of 70 deceased humans was launched on a rocket as part of a memorial flight. However, an incident occurred during the flight, causing the rocket to crash and scatter the contents of the capsule into the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Instead of the expected return to Earth for further transfer to relatives after the ceremonial space journey, the remains of their loved ones now remain forever in the sea.
Technical malfunction and complete destruction
Celestis, a company with nearly 30 years of experience in offering “space funeral” services, planned a brief but impressive ceremony. The capsule was supposed to spend about three hours in low Earth orbit, completing two orbits, and then, thanks to its parachute system, gently splash down in a designated area of the Pacific Ocean to be returned to the families. Many relatives who entrusted the company with the final journey of their loved ones watched this launch with hope.
After successfully entering orbit and completing two cycles, the capsule entered the Earth’s atmosphere as planned. However, a critical malfunction disrupted the plan — the parachute system somehow failed to deploy. Without braking, the capsule was unable to slow its descent. According to Celestis CEO Charles M. Chafer, it fell into the water, resulting in complete destruction and “dispersal of contents into the ocean.” It is impossible to restore the capsule with the remains.
Relatives complain, Celestis throws up its hands
In a statement, Celestis management expressed its “sincere gratitude” to the families for their trust and acknowledged their deep disappointment, confirming that it was impossible to return the capsules. This sad incident left many with a sense of unfulfilled last wishes.
Earlier, we talked about the most unusual space services.
According to Space
