Ashes of 166 deceased launched into space; after a failure, they crash into the sea
Ashes of 166 deceased launched into space; after a failure, they crash into the sea
▲ The Nyx capsule launched on June 23 and was created by the German aerospace company The Exploration Company. This is the second time Celestis has lost a payload. Photo @Techno_SpaceX
Europa Press
La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, July 2, 2025, p. 6
Madrid. A capsule containing the ashes and DNA of more than 166 deceased individuals, provided by Celestis, a memorial spaceflight company, ended up crashing into the Pacific Ocean.
The Nyx capsule, created by the German aerospace company The Exploration Company, took off on June 23 from Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard a Falcon-9 rocket.
The spacecraft completed two orbits around Earth and then began its return trajectory, as planned, to safely return to Earth. However, an anomaly occurred during re-entry; specifically, the parachute system failed, causing the capsule to impact the Pacific Ocean and disperse its contents into the sea
, according to a Celestis statement.
"While we currently believe we cannot recover the flight capsule, we hope the families find peace in knowing their loved ones were part of a historic journey, were launched into space, orbited the Earth, and are now resting in the vastness of the Pacific, as in a traditional and honorable dispersal at sea," he added.
This is also the second time Celestis has lost a payload. The previous time occurred in 2023, when a rocket containing the cremated remains of the late NASA astronaut Philip K. Chapman exploded over New Mexico.
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