Can You Send Ashes Into Space?
Yes — And the Journey Is Quite Extraordinary
Ten. Nine. Eight.
Every countdown still gives us chills.
Another journey into space is about to begin, and for us that moment carries something deeply personal. We know the families represented on board. We know the months of preparation, care and work that have brought the mission to this point.
Watching a rocket leave the launch pad carries all of that with it: people, memories and stories travelling towards the stars.
And yes, a symbolic portion of someone’s ashes really can make that journey into space.
People have been sending ashes into space for decades
The idea has a fascinating history.
In 1992, a portion of the ashes of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry travelled aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. Five years later, another portion joined 23 others aboard the world’s first private memorial spaceflight into Earth orbit.
There’s something wonderfully appropriate about the man who spent his life imagining humanity among the stars eventually making the journey himself.
Today, memorial spaceflight gives families around the world the opportunity to create their own journey into space.
So, how do ashes travel into space?
A symbolic portion of ashes is securely contained within an individual memorial capsule and prepared as part of a payload for a commercial spaceflight.
At StardustMe, each capsule can carry a personal engraving chosen by the family, adding a few words of their own to the journey.
After the preparation, engineering and anticipation, the launch window becomes a launch date.
Then comes lift-off.
For StardustMe orbital missions, the spacecraft continues around our planet and can be followed from Earth as it travels overhead.
There is something remarkable about stepping outside, looking towards the sky and knowing the mission is somewhere up there.
It gives looking up an entirely new meaning.
Who chooses a memorial spaceflight?
Space lovers, naturally. Astronomers, engineers, science-fiction fans and people who spent years following humanity’s adventures beyond Earth.
Then there are the travellers, explorers, curious minds and people who simply lived life with a sense of adventure.
Sometimes the connection is immediate. A family discovers that ashes can travel into space and instantly knows:
They would have absolutely loved that.
A memorial says something about how someone lived.
For the person who always looked up, a journey among the stars can say it beautifully.
Another story to tell
At StardustMe, spaceflight gives us an extraordinary way to celebrate a life.
The anticipation of the mission, the excitement of launch and the continuing journey around Earth each become another moment to share and another story connected to the person being remembered.
The sky has always inspired curiosity, possibility and wonder.
Now it can hold a connection too.
Look Up. Remember. Celebrate.
Want to know what happens from capsule to orbit?
Read What Happens When Ashes Are Sent Into Space? to follow the journey from preparing a StardustMe memorial capsule through to launch and orbit.