Latest news with #Celestis'
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX rocket launches have increased in California. Not all residents are happy.
Rocket launches in California are on the rise. That's good news for space enthusiasts and anyone in the region who enjoys watching SpaceX's famous Falcon 9 spacecraft soar into the sky multiple times a week. But for many residents who live near the Vandenberg Space Force Base, a powerful rocket liftoff is not exactly a welcome sight to behold. That's because when a Falcon 9 or any other spacecraft gets off the ground from the Santa Barbara County spaceport, it's not just its visage that they have to endure. Rattling houses, terrified pets and startling bomb-like noises known as sonic booms are just a few of the effects that residents in certain parts of California, a state known for its earthquakes, can expect anytime a rocket launches for orbit. And while Floridians on the Space Coast have long adapted to constant rocket launches in a region famed for them, Californians may still be grappling with the effects of a growing space industry. Vandenberg Space Force Base: 4 things to know about site of California rocket launches Here's what to know about SpaceX and other rocket launches from Vandenberg, as well as how liftoffs are perceived by residents and would-be spectators alike. Vandenberg hosts a regular cadence of weekly rocket launches, most from its Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E). SpaceX conducted all six of the rocket launches in June from the Vandenberg Space Force Base – all but one of which was a Starlink mission to deploy internet satellites into orbit. Following about a two-week break in July, spaceflights are scheduled to resume from Southern California with a potential Tuesday, July 15 launch of another SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a Starlink-deployment mission. On June 23, the commercial spaceflight company founded by billionaire Elon Musk also launched Transporter 14 – a rideshare mission to deliver 70 payloads for paying customers into orbit. Most prominently, the Falcon 9 transported a spacecraft carrying the remains of 166 individuals for Houston company Celestis' most recent memorial spaceflight. But it's not just SpaceX that launches from Vandenberg. In March, NASA contracted a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to boost both its SPHEREx space telescope and small sun-observing PUNCH satellites into orbit following a launch from the base. And in late April, Texas spaceflight company Firefly Aerospace attempted to launch prototype satellites into orbit for Lockheed Martin from the base. Rocket launches have steadily increased from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in recent years. As recently as 2023, just six rockets took off from the Southern California spaceport before launches spiked to 36 in 2024. In 2025, the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, gave SpaceX the greenlight to increase its Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg to 50. What's more, a proposal on the table would double the number of annual launches from Vandenberg using SpaceX's Falcon 9 to 100. Those who enjoy seeing a spacecraft thunder into the sky should be encouraged by the developments. Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, plenty of people have been known to gather near the base to watch rocket launches, which can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Several spots around Lompoc in Santa Barbara County have become well-known as prime places to catch a rocket launch, and the city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, even maintains a list with suggested viewing locations. Because of Arizona's proximity to the launch site, many residents in the neighboring state also gather to glimpse spacecraft that can be visible streaking across the sky, especially at night or very early morning. Still, not everyone in California is as enthused by the prospect of more and more rockets getting off the ground from their backyard. Multiple residents have opposed plans to ramp up launches from Vandenberg during a series of public hearings in Santa Barbara County. At a June 10 meeting, for instance, 11 people spoke about how rocket launches can disrupt their lives, scare their pets, and shake and damage their homes. Why? That'd be the sonic booms. The brief, thunder-like noises, which occur when a spacecraft travels faster than the speed of sound, can often be heard from the ground Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County. Department of Air Force officials, working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard, won't decide on the proposal until fall 2025. Officials at Vandenberg Space Force Base are well aware of how rocket launches can disrupt the lives of those who live near there. For that reason, the military base has commissioned an ongoing study into sonic boom patterns created by spacecraft launching from the spaceport. The goal, as noted in a June press release, is "to reduce potential disturbances" launches can have on populated areas. That partially explains why almost all of the rocket launches from Vandenberg occur during the day, rather than early in the morning or late at night when they're more likely to be disruptive. Contributing: Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Rocket launches have increased in California. Not all are happy.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This Texas company has sent remains of sent 'Star Trek' actors, others to space
Since the dawn of humanity, we humans have found countless ways to honor our dead. From traditional burials to the scattering of one's ashes at sea, the methods for the deceased to be honored are as varied as the cultures that comprise our world. But what about those who prefer to be memorialized on a more cosmic scale? Well, it turns out they have that option, too. For about three decades, a company based in Texas has billed itself as the first and most prominent business to offer what's referred to as "space burials." Celestis, which recently conducted a mission from California, offers services that involve sending cremated remains or human DNA beyond Earth's atmosphere. Often, familiar faces and well-known public figures − from "Star Trek" cast members to U.S. presidents − have had their remains flown to orbit as part of a celestial burial or memorial. Many of Celestis' memorial spaceflights have launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Southern California. Here's what to know about Celestis and its memorial spaceflights. Celestis is a company based in Houston, Texas, specializing in transporting human remains to space for cosmic memorials. Capsules containing DNA and human remains are included as payloads on spacecraft launched into orbit from all over the world by other companies, including SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance. Celestis' services allow for families to pay for cremated remains in capsules or DNA to be launched into space, where they can either return intact or remain until they reenter Earth's atmosphere, "harmlessly vaporizing like a shooting star in final tribute," the company says on its website. In another offering, the company facilitates the transportation of memorial capsules to interplanetary space well beyond the moon. Elysium Space, based in San Francisco, California, also offers memorial spaceflights. The company has conducted just three "space burial" missions since 2015, including from Hawaii, California and Florida, according to its website. Celestis' most recent payload of memorial capsules was included in a SpaceX rideshare mission known as Transporter 14. The mission got off the ground Monday, June 23, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. A total of 166 individual Celestis memorial capsules were on board a Nyx spacecraft manufactured by Europe-based The Exploration Company (TEC,) which hitched a ride on SpaceX's famous Falcon 9 rocket. The payload of memorial capsules was part of about 70 total payloads, including small satellites, that the Falcon 9 helped to deliver for paying customers to a sun-synchronous orbit, meaning they matched Earth's rotation around the sun. The launch was meant to be Celestis' first-ever to return from an altitude high enough to be considered Earth's orbit. The Nyx module reached low-Earth orbit, where it traveled for three hours at about 17,000 miles per hour and completed two full orbits around Earth. But instead of safely reentering Earth's atmosphere to land in the Pacific Ocean as planned, the Nyx spacecraft's parachute failed and it crashed into the sea, losing the capsules. If you want to send your deceased loved one on a final cosmic journey, the cost to do so isn't that much different from the price of the average typical funeral or burial service. The cheapest option of sending memorial capsules to space and back, known as "Earth rise," starts at $3,495. The price to send a loved one's remains all the way up to orbit starts at $4,995. After that, though, the costs for Celestis' services start to climb. Both the company's lunar burial and interplanetary services start at $12,995, according to its website. The recent mission was Celestis' 25th overall since it was founded in 1994. The company's maiden voyage took place in April 1997, when a Pegasus rocket carrying the remains of 24 people, including "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, launched over the Spanish Canary Islands. The flight capsules on board a Celestis spacecraft then reentered Earth's atmosphere about a month later. Celestis' first and only successful lunar burial mission to date then occurred a year later in January 1998 from what was then still called the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Conducted at NASA's request, the mission included a capsule on board the agency's Lunar Prospector containing the ashes of geologist Eugene Shoemaker. Celestis has no more missions planned for 2025, according to its website. The next flight, planned for early 2026, appears to be an orbital mission launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida. Reservations are open until Aug. 1, 2025. Celestis previously made headlines in January 2024 when its plans to land human remains on the moon's surface attracted some controversy. The plan was for the remains and DNA of more than 70 deceased people to be included on a lunar lander bound for the moon. That included – once again – remains of Roddenberry, as well as science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. Elysium Space also contracted to have cremated human remains and DNA of clients placed aboard the lunar lander. But Navajo Nation, the largest tribe of Native Americans in the United States, vehemently opposed the lunar burial, penning a letter decrying the plans as "a profound desecration." Ultimately, though, the remains never made it to the moon's surface anyway. Pittsburgh-based aerospace company Astrobotic's Peregrine lander fell short of its destination when it began leaking a "critical" amount of propellant – instead burning up in Earth's atmosphere after launch. "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry and Arthur C. Clarke, best known for authoring "2001: A Space Odyssey" that inspired Stanley Kubrick's film of the same name, are not the only well-known people whose remains have flown to outer space on a Celestis mission. Among the notable names to have been included are several actors from the original "Star Trek" series and NASA astronauts. Here's a list Celestis provided to the USA TODAY Network: James Doohan, who portrayed Scotty in the original "Star Trek" series (remember the phrase, "Beam me up, Scotty"?) Nichelle Nichols, the first Black woman featured in a major television series who portrayed Nyota Uhura in "Star Trek" DeForest Kelley, who portrayed Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the original "Star Trek" series Three American presidents, George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, whose DNA in the form of hair samples was included on past flights Several NASA astronauts, including L. Gordon Cooper, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, and NASA's first Australian-American Astronaut, Philip K. Chapman Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cosmic burials? Company lets you send love one's remains to space
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This company sends human remains to space for cosmic memorials. Many launch from Florida
Since the dawn of humanity, we humans have found countless ways to honor our dead. From traditional burials to the scattering of one's ashes at sea, the methods for the deceased to be honored are as varied as the cultures that comprise our world. But what about those who prefer to be memorialized on a more cosmic scale? Well, it turns out they have that option, too. For about three decades, a company based in Texas has billed itself as the first and most prominent business to offer what's referred to as "space burials." Celestis, which recently conducted a mission from California, offers services that involve sending cremated remains or human DNA beyond Earth's atmosphere. Often, familiar faces and well-known public figures − from "Star Trek" cast members to U.S. presidents − have had their remains flown to orbit as part of a celestial burial or memorial. Many of Celestis' memorial spaceflights have launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base and NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here's what to know about Celestis and its memorial spaceflights. Celestis is a company based in Houston, Texas, specializing in transporting human remains to space for cosmic memorials. Capsules containing DNA and human remains are included as payloads on spacecraft launched into orbit by other companies, including SpaceX and United Launch Alliance. Celestis' services allow for families to pay for cremated remains in capsules or DNA to be launched into space, where they can either return intact or remain until they reenter Earth's atmosphere, "harmlessly vaporizing like a shooting star in final tribute," the company says on its website. In another offering, the company facilitates the transportation of memorial capsules to interplanetary space well beyond the moon. Celestis' most recent payload of memorial capsules was included in a SpaceX rideshare mission known as Transporter 14. The mission got off the ground Monday, June 23, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. A total of 166 individual Celestis memorial capsules were on board a Nyx spacecraft manufactured by Europe-based The Exploration Company (TEC,) which hitched a ride on SpaceX's famous Falcon 9 rocket. The payload of memorial capsules was part of about 70 total payloads, including small satellites, that the Falcon 9 helped to deliver for paying customers to a sun-synchronous orbit, meaning they matched Earth's rotation around the sun. The launch was meant to be Celestis' first-ever to return from an altitude high enough to be considered Earth's orbit. The Nyx module reached low-Earth orbit, where it traveled for three hours at about 17,000 miles per hour and completed two full orbits around Earth. But instead of safely reentering Earth's atmosphere to land in the Pacific Ocean as planned, the Nyx spacecraft's parachute failed and it crashed into the sea, losing the capsules. If you want to send your deceased loved one on a final cosmic journey, the cost to do so isn't that much different from the price of the average typical funeral or burial service. The cheapest option of sending memorial capsules to space and back, known as "Earth rise," starts at $3,495. The price to send a loved one's remains all the way up to orbit starts at $4,995. After that, though, the costs for Celestis' services start to climb. Both the company's lunar burial and interplanetary services start at $12,995, according to its website. The recent mission was Celestis' 25th overall since it was founded in 1994. The company's maiden voyage took place in April 1997, when a Pegasus rocket carrying the remains of 24 people, including "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, launched over the Spanish Canary Islands. The flight capsules on board a Celestis spacecraft then reentered Earth's atmosphere about a month later. Celestis' first and only successful lunar burial mission to date then occurred a year later in January 1998 from what was then still called the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Conducted at NASA's request, the mission included a capsule on board the agency's Lunar Prospector containing the ashes of geologist Eugene Shoemaker. Celestis has no more missions planned for 2025, according to its website. The next flight, planned for early 2026, appears to be an orbital mission launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base. Reservations are open until Aug. 1, 2025. Celestis previously made headlines in January 2024 when its plans to land human remains on the moon's surface attracted some controversy. The plan was for the remains and DNA of more than 70 deceased people to be included on a lunar lander bound for the moon. That included – once again – remains from 'Star Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry, as well as science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. But Navajo Nation, the largest tribe of Native Americans in the United States, vehemently opposed the lunar burial, penning a letter decrying the plans as "a profound desecration." Ultimately, though, the remains never made it to the moon's surface anyway. Pittsburgh-based aerospace company Astrobotic's Peregrine lander fell short of its destination when it began leaking a "critical" amount of propellant – instead burning up in Earth's atmosphere after launch. Roddenberry and Clarke, best known for authoring "2001: A Space Odyssey" that inspired Stanley Kubrick's film of the same name, are not the only well-known people whose remains have flown to outer space on a Celestis mission. Among the notable names to have been included are several actors from the original "Star Trek" series and NASA astronauts. Here's a list Celestis provided to the USA TODAY Network: James Doohan, who portrayed Scotty in the original "Star Trek" series (remember the phrase, "Beam me up, Scotty"?) Nichelle Nichols, the first Black woman featured in a major television series who portrayed Nyota Uhura in "Star Trek" DeForest Kelley, who portrayed Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the original "Star Trek" series Three American presidents, George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, whose DNA in the form of hair samples was included on past flights Several NASA astronauts, including L. Gordon Cooper, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, and NASA's first Australian-American Astronaut, Philip K. Chapman Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Florida Today: You can send a loved one's remains to space: Cosmic memorials, explained
USA Today
26-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
This Texas company has sent remains of sent 'Star Trek' actors, others to space
For about three decades, a company based in Texas has billed itself as the first and most prominent business to offer what's referred to as "space burials." Since the dawn of humanity, we humans have found countless ways to honor our dead. From traditional burials to the scattering of one's ashes at sea, the methods for the deceased to be honored are as varied as the cultures that comprise our world. But what about those who prefer to be memorialized on a more cosmic scale? Well, it turns out they have that option, too. For about three decades, a company based in Texas has billed itself as the first and most prominent business to offer what's referred to as "space burials." Celestis, which recently conducted a mission from California, offers services that involve sending cremated remains or human DNA beyond Earth's atmosphere. Often, familiar faces and well-known public figures − from "Star Trek" cast members to U.S. presidents − have had their remains flown to orbit as part of a celestial burial or memorial. Many of Celestis' memorial spaceflights have launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Southern California. Here's what to know about Celestis and its memorial spaceflights. What is Celestis? Houston, Texas, company takes human remains to space Celestis is a company based in Houston, Texas, specializing in transporting human remains to space for cosmic memorials. Capsules containing DNA and human remains are included as payloads on spacecraft launched into orbit from all over the world by other companies, including SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance. Celestis' services allow for families to pay for cremated remains in capsules or DNA to be launched into space, where they can either return intact or remain until they reenter Earth's atmosphere, "harmlessly vaporizing like a shooting star in final tribute," the company says on its website. In another offering, the company facilitates the transportation of memorial capsules to interplanetary space well beyond the moon. What other companies offer 'space burials'? Elysium Space, based in San Francisco, California, also offers memorial spaceflights. The company has conducted just three "space burial" missions since 2015, including from Hawaii, California and Florida, according to its website. Celestis sent memorial capsules on a SpaceX rocket launch in California Celestis' most recent payload of memorial capsules was included in a SpaceX rideshare mission known as Transporter 14. The mission got off the ground Monday, June 23, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. A total of 166 individual Celestis memorial capsules were on board a Nyx spacecraft manufactured by Europe-based The Exploration Company (TEC,) which hitched a ride on SpaceX's famous Falcon 9 rocket. The payload of memorial capsules was part of about 70 total payloads, including small satellites, that the Falcon 9 helped to deliver for paying customers to a sun-synchronous orbit, meaning they matched Earth's rotation around the sun. The launch was meant to be Celestis' first-ever to return from an altitude high enough to be considered Earth's orbit. The Nyx module reached low-Earth orbit, where it traveled for three hours at about 17,000 miles per hour and completed two full orbits around Earth. But instead of safely reentering Earth's atmosphere to land in the Pacific Ocean as planned, the Nyx spacecraft's parachute failed and it crashed into the sea, losing the capsules. How much does a Celestis flight cost? If you want to send your deceased loved one on a final cosmic journey, the cost to do so isn't that much different from the price of the average typical funeral or burial service. The cheapest option of sending memorial capsules to space and back, known as "Earth rise," starts at $3,495. The price to send a loved one's remains all the way up to orbit starts at $4,995. After that, though, the costs for Celestis' services start to climb. Both the company's lunar burial and interplanetary services start at $12,995, according to its website. How many memorial flights or cosmic memorials has Celestis conducted? The recent mission was Celestis' 25th overall since it was founded in 1994. The company's maiden voyage took place in April 1997, when a Pegasus rocket carrying the remains of 24 people, including "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, launched over the Spanish Canary Islands. The flight capsules on board a Celestis spacecraft then reentered Earth's atmosphere about a month later. Celestis' first and only successful lunar burial mission to date then occurred a year later in January 1998 from what was then still called the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Conducted at NASA's request, the mission included a capsule on board the agency's Lunar Prospector containing the ashes of geologist Eugene Shoemaker. When is the next Celestis memorial flight? Celestis has no more missions planned for 2025, according to its website. The next flight, planned for early 2026, appears to be an orbital mission launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida. Reservations are open until Aug. 1, 2025. Celestis previously sought to bring human remains to the moon Celestis previously made headlines in January 2024 when its plans to land human remains on the moon's surface attracted some controversy. The plan was for the remains and DNA of more than 70 deceased people to be included on a lunar lander bound for the moon. That included – once again – remains of Roddenberry, as well as science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. Elysium Space also contracted to have cremated human remains and DNA of clients placed aboard the lunar lander. But Navajo Nation, the largest tribe of Native Americans in the United States, vehemently opposed the lunar burial, penning a letter decrying the plans as "a profound desecration." Ultimately, though, the remains never made it to the moon's surface anyway. Pittsburgh-based aerospace company Astrobotic's Peregrine lander fell short of its destination when it began leaking a "critical" amount of propellant – instead burning up in Earth's atmosphere after launch. Who are some famous people whose remains have flown to orbit? "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry and Arthur C. Clarke, best known for authoring "2001: A Space Odyssey" that inspired Stanley Kubrick's film of the same name, are not the only well-known people whose remains have flown to outer space on a Celestis mission. Among the notable names to have been included are several actors from the original "Star Trek" series and NASA astronauts. Here's a list Celestis provided to the USA TODAY Network: Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@
India Today
23-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
SpaceX to launch 150 capsules with cremated human remains to space
SpaceX is set to launch its Transporter-14 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday, marking another development in the growing field of memorial the dozens of payloads on board, the Perseverance Flight, a project by Houston-based company Celestis, will carry more than 150 capsules containing cremated human remains and DNA samples from clients around the Perseverance Flight is designed as a unique memorial experience. After reaching low Earth orbit, the capsule will complete two or three circuits around the planet before reentering the atmosphere. The memorial capsules, protected inside the Mission Possible reentry vehicle, will then splash down in the Pacific teams will retrieve the capsules and return them to clients as cherished keepsakes, offering families a tangible connection to their loved ones' journey through Sunday, June 22 for a Falcon 9 launch of the Transporter-14 mission from Space Launch Complex 4E in California. Teams are keeping an eye on weather SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 21, 2025This mission marks Celestis' 12th 'Earth Rise' flight and its 25th overall space mission, reflecting the company's growing role in the memorial spaceflight is pleased to offer a new type of Earth Rise mission, thanks to The Exploration Company,' said Charles Chafer, Celestis co-founder and CEO. 'Our participants' capsules will orbit the Earth and return via the Mission Possible capsule, creating a spectacular liftoff and recovery experience'.The Falcon 9 booster, B1071, will follow a southward trajectory after launch to place its rideshare payloads into Sun-synchronous orbit before landing on the 'Of Course I Still Love You' droneship in the those making history on this flight is three-year-old Matteo Barth, who will become the youngest German—and the youngest European overall—to send his DNA into space, symbolically joining his late grandfather, Dieter Barth, in this mission, SpaceX and Celestis continue to expand the possibilities for personal memorials, blending cutting-edge space technology with deeply personal human Watch
