A space capsule carrying the ashes of 166 people crashed into the Pacific Ocean. The ashes were lost in the process. The company behind the flight hopes that relatives will find solace in the fact that their loved ones have made “a historic journey.”
The intention was for the capsule with the ashes on board to descend safely with a parachute after a few orbits around the Earth. After that, the relatives would receive the capsules with the ashes of their loved ones back.
But things went wrong during landing on Monday, Celestis writes on its website. The American company has been organizing so-called Memorial Spaceflights since 1994. After two orbits around the Earth, the parachute did not open, after which the so-called Nyx capsule crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
“As a result of this unforeseen event, we do not expect to be able to recover the flight capsules,” the company writes. That means the ashes will never be found again.
“We share the disappointment of our families and express our sincere gratitude for their trust,” Celestis reports. The company hopes that relatives will find comfort in the fact that their deceased have made “a historic journey.”
Mission according to capsule builder ‘partly successful and partly failed’
It was the first time that the ashes would return to Earth after a space journey by Celestis. In the past, the ashes remained in space.
The Nyx capsule was launched with a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX. The builder of the capsule, The Exploration Company, looks back on the space mission as “partly successful and partly failed.” According to the company, everything went well until the very last moment, when communication with the spacecraft was lost.
“We apologize to all our customers who have entrusted us with their cargo,” the company writes. Celestis was one of the customers who used the space capsule from The Exploration Company.