Celestis, Inc. is a company that launches cremated human remains into

space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually cons ...

, a procedure known as a

space burial Space burial is the launching of human remains into space. Missions may go into orbit around the Earth or to extraterrestrial bodies such as the Moon, or farther into space. Remains are sealed until the spacecraft burns up upon re-entry into ...

. It is a subsidiary of the private space company Space Services Inc. The company purchases launches as a

secondary payload Secondary payload, also known as rideshare payload, is a smaller-sized payload transported to orbit on a launch vehicle that is mostly paid for—and with the date and time of launch and the orbital trajectory determined—by the entity that co ...

on various

launch vehicle A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload ( spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pads, supported by a launch control center and ...

s, and launches samples of a person's cremated remains. Launching an individual's entire cremated remains (which weigh between four and eight pounds) would be prohibitively expensive for most people, so Celestis launches small portions of 1-7 grams.

History

Celestis has flown a number of notable participants over the years. Its first flight – ''The Founders Flight'' — carried cremated remains of ''Star Trek'' creator Gene Roddenberry and 1960s icon

Timothy Leary Timothy Francis Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an American psychologist and author known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs. Evaluations of Leary are polarized, ranging from bold oracle to publicity hound. He was "a her ...

into

Earth orbit Earth orbits the Sun at an average distance of 149.60 million km (92.96 million mi) in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from above the Northern Hemisphere. One complete orbit takes days (1 sidereal year), during which time Eart ...

. Also on board were remains of physicist and space visionary Gerard K. O'Neill, noted rocket scientist Krafft A. Ehricke, and 20 others. Dr.

Eugene Shoemaker Eugene Merle Shoemaker (April 28, 1928 – July 18, 1997) was an American geologist. He co-discovered Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 with his wife Carolyn S. Shoemaker and David H. Levy. This comet hit Jupiter in July 1994: the impact was televise ...

— a famous planetary geologist and co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 – was launched to the Moon on NASA's ''Lunar Prospector'' mission in 1998: Celestis helped friends of Dr. Shoemaker include a sample of his cremated remains on that mission. Mercury 7 astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, ''Star Trek'' actor

James Doohan James Montgomery Doohan (; March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Canadian actor, author and soldier, best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series '' Star Trek''. Doohan's characterization of the Scottis ...

(" Mr. Scott"), and a host of others from various walks of life were launched on board ''The Legacy Flight'' in 2007. ''Titanic'' explorer Ralph White was on board the ''Discovery'' and ''Pioneer'' flights. Family members and friends of flight participants usually can attend the launch. Celestis usually arranges for a tour of the launch facility and hosts a non-sectarian memorial service prior to the launch. Celestis also helps people prearrange their own memorial spaceflights for the future.

Flights

Future flights

In late 2022, as a memorial service for Majel Barrett Roddenberry ('' Star Trek''s "Nurse Chapel", the voice of the computer on board the fictional starship ''Enterprise'', and

Lwaxana Troi This is a list of characters from the science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. Characters are ordered alphabetically by family name, and only characters who played a significant recurring role in the series are list ...

in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''), her remains will fly with those of her late husband Gene Roddenberry together "on an infinite journey into deep space aboard their Voyager Memorial Spaceflight Service ... will carry their spirits, their memories, and the message of their life’s work into the cosmos." The ''Enterprise'' Flight will fly attached to the Centaur V upper stage on the inaugural launch of the

Vulcan Centaur Vulcan Centaur is a two-stage-to-orbit, heavy-lift launch vehicle that is under development by the United Launch Alliance (ULA) since 2014 with an initial flight expected in early 2023. It is principally designed to meet launch demands for th ...

rocket.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.celestis.com/ 1994 establishments in Texas Companies based in Houston Private spaceflight companies SpaceX commercial payloads Funeral-related industry