How launching cremated remains has grown into a booming business at Cape Canaveral

Gathered to view the historic launch of the Vulcan Centaur V on Dec. 24 from Cape Canaveral, one set of spectators will be looking on in a different light. Perched at Spaceview Park in Titusville, they’ll be watching as the cremated remains of their loved ones take to the skies. 

“You'll never see as much cheering and high-fiving at a funeral as you do at one of our launches. It's a very emotional experience,” said CEO and Co-Founder Charles Chafer of Houston-based Celestis Inc.

Chafer’s privately owned company has orchestrated memorial spaceflights since 1997, when a Northrup Grumman Pegasus rocket launching from the Canary Islands carried capsules of the ashes of 24 people. The individual flight capsules remained within the Celestis spacecraft throughout its orbit and re-entered the atmosphere May 20, 2002, northeast of Australia. Each customer paid $4,495. Today, a similar package costs $2,995.

Since then, more options have been added for customers: DNA gathered from a swab is an option for those whose loved ones aren’t cremated. To launch ashes or DNA into Earth orbit costs upwards of $4,995, and launching into lunar orbit, onto the Moon’s surface or into deep space is $12,995 and up. 

DNA is transported in titanium capsules and aluminum for cremated remains. 

The memorial spaceflight launching on Dec. 24 will have two destinations. As a secondary payload on the Astrobotic Technology Peregrine lunar lander, 70 ash-filled or DNA-containing capsules will make their final stop on the moon. The lander isn’t capable of reentering Earth’s atmosphere, so it will stay where it lands, north of the Gruithuisen crater.  

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The moon stop is branded as the Tranquility Flight, and the names of the deceased on board are published — along with written tributes — on the Celestis website. 

Among those aboard will be 16-year-old Liam Anand. He lost his life in a motorbike accident this summer. There’s Red Bull Aces wingsuit competitor Micah Couch, who died while BASE jumping in 2017 at age 33. There’s also Dr. Kay Ann Heggestad, who for 72 years kept her friends and family on their toes with her wit and honesty.  

When Vulcan Centaur launches on Christmas Eve, the families likely will "be past the deep grief stage and able to experience some of the joy of the launch,” said Chafer. 

Another 264 capsules will head to deep space. Here’s the journey: 

“Vulcan takes the lander to orbit. Centaur then fires and circularizes the orbit. Then Centaur fires and goes to the moon. They let off the Astrobotic lander and then fire the Centaur again. And then woo! Off to deep space,” said Chafer. 

The ride with a deep space destination is named The Enterprise Flight.

DNA from Presidents Washington, Eisenhower and Kennedy will fly. A donor purchased hair samples from the late Louis Mushro, the globally recognized broker of historical celebrity hair samples and donated them to Celestis together with the provenance of each sample.

The participation of two other well-known passengers — the original "Star Trek" series creator Gene Rodenberry and cast member Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed the character Nyota Uhura — has been widely publicized.  

Another three Star Trek alumni will be on board: Majel Barrett Rodenberry, who played Nurse Christine Chapel; DeForrest Kelley, who played Dr. Leonard McCoy; and James Montgomery Doohan, who played Montgomery "Scotty" Scott. 

Capsules of Apollo astronaut Philip K. Chapman and NASA shuttle astronaut Michael Lampton will be there, too. 

To realize the dreams of its customers, Celestis has grown relationships with aerospace companies over the years. 

“When we started, it was actually very difficult because the world of space launch was not nearly as welcoming to commercial enterprises as it is now, nor was it as able to handle what are called secondary payloads, which are small,” explained Chafer. 

“In the late '90s, we reached an agreement to fly with Orbital Sciences Corporation, which is now Northrop Grumman. We conducted several missions with them. We then moved over to SpaceX and we've done maybe six missions with SpaceX. We're flying with the United Launch Alliance in December.” 

Chafer said Celestis routinely operates out of Cape Canaveral.  

“We plan three-day launch events and for the next one we expect more than 500 people will be there. There’s a tour of the launch facility and a memorial service where people get up and talk about their loved ones. It's really cathartic for them. The main event is the launch. We’ve watched from Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral and the Sands Space History Museum grounds just outside the gate at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.” 

Memorial spaceflights are ramping up. When New Year’s Eve rolls around, Celestis will have had 20 missions since its founding, four of them this year — the most ever in one year. So far, three are scheduled for 2024, and the company is already booking into 2025. 

Companies offering extraterrestrial memorial services via Cape Canaveral launches 

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