Elysium Space is a San Francisco based company that will give people the option to have ashes sent into space aboard SpaceX’s very own Falcon 9 rocket.
Whatever the reasons for wanting it, the idea of sending a person’s ashes into space has been with us since we first started exploring beyond our own planet.
Historically limited for the rich or famous (Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s ashes were sent into space in 2014), a company is now opening up this opportunity to everyone.
So how does it work? Well it’s actually quite simple, you take a sample of your loved one’s remains and place it within the provided capsule that’s sent to you.
The capsule is pre-engraved with three letters of your choice and once you’ve transferred a sample of the remains you can then ship the sample back to Elysium Space.
Elysium then places the samples into a special container that has been pre-approved by NASA. It’s then sent to SpaceX once the launch date has been confirmed.
The next mission Elysium are planning to run is called Elysium Star II Mission (Shooting Star Memorial) and will be placed aboard SpaceX’s very own Falcon 9 rocket.
While there’s no confirmed launch date the company did say that they were in the launch queue and were awaiting confirmation shortly.
So how much will all this cost? Well it’s a lot cheaper than it used to be, but it’s still what you’d call a premium service.
To get a spot on their ‘Shooting Star’ memorial mission you’ll be set back a cool £1,920.
Once the rocket reaches space the capsule will orbit the Earth for around two years, allowing you to track its location through a dedicated app. After two years the capsule will descend back to Earth where it will burn up as a shooting star.