Nyx Capsule Carrying Ashes of 166 People To Space For 'Celestial Memorium' Crashes Into The Pacific Ocean

The rise of the commercial space industry is allowing people to have access to the universe like never before. Many companies are taking unique payloads to space to fulfill their customers' wishes. Nyx capsule by German aerospace startup The Exploration Company was doing the same when they sent the ashes of 166 individuals to space, as reported by Live Science. The human remains were stored in a Falcon-9 rocket, which went to space as part of a rideshare mission (Transporter-14). Though the remains were able to witness the marvel that is the outer realm, their path back to Earth was less than ideal.

Mission Possible

The Exploration Company named the flight by Falcon-9, as "Mission Possible," and it was launched on June 23, 2025. The payload for this flight included ashes and DNA of 166 individuals as well as cannabis seeds. The human remains were provided by Celestis, a memorial spaceflight company based in Texas. The company allows families to commemorate their loved ones by sending a portion of their ashes into space. Martian Grow, an open-source citizen science project, provided cannabis material. In total, the payload weighed around 660 lbs (300 kg). The mission achieved orbit and had a successful reentry. However, during its landing, Falcon-9's parachutes failed to deploy, and it crashed into the Pacific Ocean on June 24. It is the second time Celestis has lost its payload, with the previous one carrying the remains of NASA astronaut Philip K. Chapman in 2023, which exploded over New Mexico.

Response from Authorities

Celestis co-founder and CEO Charles M. Chafer shared that the mission conducted two orbits around the Earth before reentering the atmosphere, per the company's page. Experts are still unable to figure out the reason behind the issues in landing. "The root cause is under investigation, resulting in the Nyx capsule impacting the Pacific Ocean and dispersing its contents at sea," Chaffer added. "As a result of this unforeseen event, we believe that we will not be able to recover or return the flight capsules aboard." The Exploration Company (TEC) claims that they lost communication with Falcon-9 minutes before the crash. Currently, the organization is unable to recover the remains. "We apologize to all our clients who entrusted us with their payloads," TEC shared in a LinkedIn post. 

Chafer shared that Celestis is in contact with the families to whom these ashes belong to discuss the next steps. He is hoping that they "find some peace in knowing their loved ones were part of a historic journey, launched into space, orbited Earth, and are now resting in the vastness of the Pacific, akin to a traditional and honored sea scattering." The mission held a lot of importance for Celestis, as it was their first burial project intended to return to Earth.

Chafer appreciated everyone involved in the successes of Mission Possible, like its orbit and reentry, but at the same time, paid condolences for the loss of loved ones. The cannabis plant matter and seeds provided by Martian Grow were also lost in the Pacific Ocean. The organization aims to "make science free again" and possibly send the matter into space in order to make progress on their pursuit of growing the plant on the Red Planet.

Partial Success

TEC called the flight a "partial success." Before Mission Possible, TEC had just sent one other capsule. Hence, the milestones achieved by the flight are a source of pride, and failures of the mission are a lesson for the company. "We have been pushing boundaries in record time and cost. This partial success reflects both ambition and the inherent risks of innovation. Leveraging the technical milestones achieved yesterday and the lessons we will extract from our ongoing investigation, we will then prepare to re-fly as soon as possible," TEC stated.