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A Spacecraft Carrying Human Remains and Cannabis Crashes Into the Ocean
- The Exploration Company launched the Nyx Mission Possible capsule from Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 23, 2025, atop a Falcon-9 rocket during the Transporter-14 rideshare mission.
- The mission sought to demonstrate and validate critical systems by carrying the ashes and DNA of over 166 deceased individuals, along with cannabis seeds from the Martian Grow project, into orbit to examine how microgravity impacts biological samples; however, a malfunction occurred during the capsule’s reentry.
- The capsule orbited Earth three times, powered all payloads nominally, reentered the atmosphere, re-established communication after blackout, but lost communication minutes before splashdown and crashed in the Pacific Ocean due to parachute failure.
- The company described the outcome as a "partial success ," apologized to its clients, is investigating root causes, and plans to share more information soon while leveraging technical milestones and lessons from this mission.
- The crash caused loss of all cargo including ashes and cannabis seeds, marking Celestis' second payload loss since 2023, and the company will offer family support as it moves forward toward a planned ISS demonstration flight in 2028.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Madrid. A capsule that included ashes and DNA from more than 166 deceased people, provided by Celestis, a commemorative space flight company, ended up impacting the Pacific Ocean.
A capsule that included ashes and DNA from more than 166 deceased people, provided by Celestis, a commemorative space flight company, ended up impacting the Pacific Ocean.The Nyx capsule, created by the German aerospace company The Exploration Company, took off on June 23 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard a Falcon-9 rocket.The ship completed two orbits around Earth and then began its return trajectory, as scheduled, to complete the saf…
der Standard AT
der Standard DEA space launch should have brought the ashes of the dead and other cargo into orbit for Celestis – but the return did not work according to plan
A spacecraft carrying human remains and cannabis crashes into the ocean
We've sent some pretty interesting payloads to space since the first satellite (Sputnik 1) launched on October 4, 1957. As access to space has increased, thanks largely to the commercial space industry, so too have the types of payloads we are sending. Consider the Nyx capsule created by German aerospace startup The Exploration Company, which launched on June 23 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base atop a Falcon-9 rocket as part of a rideshare m…
Space capsule with 'remains of 166 humans' & cannabis plants 'lost' after crash
A SPACE capsule carrying the remains of 166 people and a bounty of cannabis plants has been lost at sea following a surprise crash. The Nyx capsule, built by German aerospace startup The Exploration Company, launched on 23 June from atop a SpaceX rocket. Getty - ContributorAll of its cargo has been lost at sea[/caption] But the rideshare mission – where several companies pay for space aboard the capsule for their payloads – has gone awry after g…
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