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Gizmodo
11 hours ago
- General
- Gizmodo
Failed Orbital Mission Loses Human Remains, Space Pot
A spacecraft carrying the remains of more than 160 people crashed into the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, June 24, causing its contents to be lost at sea. The mission intended to return the remains to the families that provided them following a brief stint in space, but now, they will never be seen again. On Monday, June 23, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Transporter-14 rideshare mission from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying 70 payloads to low-Earth orbit. The largest was Nyx, a 1.6-ton (1.45-metric-ton) reentry capsule produced by The Exploration Company, a German aerospace startup. Dubbed 'Mission Possible,' it was the company's first attempt to carry customer payloads, taking roughly 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of cargo on a trip around the Earth. This included the ashes and DNA of more than 166 deceased people provided by Celestis, a memorial spaceflight company based in Houston, Texas. Though Nyx successfully reached orbit, its parachute system failed during reentry, according to Celestis. 'As a result of this unforeseen event, we believe that we will not be able to recover or return the flight capsules aboard,' the company said in a statement. 'We share in the disappointment of our families, and we offer our sincerest gratitude for their trust.' Though the mission achieved several key milestones—including a successful launch, orbit, and controlled reentry—Celestis acknowledged that its unsuccessful landing marks a significant personal loss for participating families. 'In the coming days, our team will reach out to each family individually to offer support and discuss possible next steps,' the company said. 'Though we currently believe that we cannot return the flight capsules, we hope families will 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.' This isn't the first time a Celestis mission hasn't gone as planned. In May 2023, a UP Aerospace rocket carrying the cremated remains of a late NASA astronaut exploded just seconds after liftoff over the New Mexico desert. The rocket was also carrying more than a dozen student experiment payloads for NASA. In a statement posted to social media Tuesday, The Exploration Company deemed Mission Possible a 'partial success,' explaining that the capsule managed to power its payloads nominally in orbit, stabilize itself after separating from Falcon 9, reenter Earth's atmosphere, and reestablish communications after the brief blackout period. 'But it encountered an issue afterwards, based on our current best knowledge, and we lost communication a few minutes before splash down,' the company stated. 'We are still investigating the root causes and will share more information soon. We apologize to all our clients who entrusted us with their payloads.' In addition to the human remains and other payloads, Nyx carried cannabis provided by Martian Grow, an open-source citizen science project. The project, which ultimately aims to grow marijuana on Mars, secured a spot on Nyx to send seeds and plant matter to low-Earth orbit and study how microgravity affects their germination and resilience. 'Cannabis is resilient, multipurpose, and biologically complex—making it ideal for studying how life adapts to extreme environments like space or Mars,' the Martian Grow website states. Unfortunately, the cannabis was lost at sea along with the rest of Nyx's payloads. Gizmodo reached out to Martian Grow for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Mission Possible was The Exploration Company's second flight. The first, Mission Bikini, launched a smaller reentry capsule aboard the first Ariane 6 flight in July 2024. The rocket's upper stage suffered an anomaly that prevented it from launching the capsule in its reentry trajectory, leaving it stuck in orbit with Bikini still attached. This week's mission was more ambitious, testing both reentry technologies and all the technologies that support Nyx, which is designed to eventually transport cargo to and from low-Earth orbit. Future iterations of this spacecraft could even be used to carry crews to space, according to SpaceNews. This week's crash underscores the realization that Nyx won't be ready to fly astronauts anytime soon. Victor Maier, lead for Germany and central Europe business at The Exploration Company, told SpaceNews that the company has no plans to conduct additional test missions ahead of a Nyx demonstration flight to the International Space Station in 2028. That mission is pending support from the European Space Agency. The Exploration Company will, however, consider ground tests for some of the spacecraft's subsystems, Maier said. The company's Tuesday statement suggests otherwise. '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,' it reads.
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Science
- Kuwait Times
From Failaka to the final frontier
Kuwaiti rocks orbit Earth as part of global space mission KUWAIT: In a first-of-its-kind cultural and scientific venture, rocks from Kuwait's Failaka Island were launched into space aboard a SpaceBy X capsule early Tuesday. The Advance Space Civilization Initiative (ASCI) partnered with Lunex EuroMoonMars, Space Renaissance International (SRI), and several other global space organizations for the 'Space for All Gallery' mission, which included the Failaka rocks in its payload. The 'Space for All Gallery' is an international initiative that launched aboard The Exploration Company's Nyx capsule on June 23, 2025 via SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The capsule carried a diverse payload of science samples, art and cultural artifacts into low Earth orbit before it was supposed to return for study and public display. Spearheaded by LUNEX CEO and SRI President Prof Bernard Foing, the 'Mission Possible' project aims to promote inclusive access to space through science, technology and the arts. In an update posted approximately 12 hours after liftoff, The Exploration Company confirmed that the capsule had successfully powered on its passenger payloads, stabilized itself after separation from the rocket's upper stage, reentered Earth's atmosphere and reestablished communication following an expected blackout period. Despite a successful reentry and the reestablishment of communication, the company reported that it lost contact with the capsule just minutes before the expected splashdown. The Exploration Company deemed the mission 'a partial success' and said it was investigating the root cause of the issue. Speaking to Kuwait Times, Ghanim Al-Otaibi, co-founder of ASCI, shared details of the groundbreaking project and his team's role: 'I'm also a board member at the Space Renaissance Initiative (SRI), an international nonprofit think tank based in Italy. At SRI, we promote ideas like astronautical humanism and publish forward-looking research.' A small tray containing compartments filled with miniature artworks and cultural items from around the world, including the Failaka rocks. The Failaka rocks before they were loaded into the tray. The rocks were sliced in half before launch — one half remained in Kuwait, while the other half was sent into space. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 70 payloads for a variety of customers lifts off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base today on June 23, 2025. Al-Otaibi has also been conducting academic research in Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) at the University of Strathclyde in the UK. SBSP is an emerging technology that aims to harvest solar energy in space and beam it back to Earth — offering a promising solution to global energy challenges. The Failaka rocks, collected by Al-Otaibi and astrophysicist Aziz Al-Areedh, were chosen for their profound cultural and historical importance. 'Even though Failaka is no longer inhabited, its contribution continues — this time, to the future of humanity in space,' said Al-Otaibi. 'The rocks symbolize a future rooted in the ancient heritage of our land.' As part of the mission, a small tray was sent into space containing compartments filled with miniature artworks and cultural items from around the world. The Failaka rocks were sliced in half before launch — one half remains in Kuwait, while the other half were to be retrieved for post-flight analysis, particularly to study the effects of radiation exposure on terrestrial materials. Located off Kuwait's coast, Failaka Island has been a cradle of civilizations for millennia and was inhabited until the 1990s. Today, it stands as a key archaeological site. Al-Otaibi explained that the team saw the island's geology as a powerful symbol of Kuwait's identity — capable of communicating meaningful ideas through a small but significant gesture. The rocks, once returned, will become new archaeological artifacts for future generations. Al-Otaibi's passion for space began with Kuwait's early space efforts, including the KuwaitSat-1 project and participation in international events like the 'Moon Village' conference. In 2022, he joined the Space Renaissance Initiative and now leads its 'Towards the Young Generation' committee, which aims to engage youth in the space sector. The mission is part of the broader vision of ASCI, a Kuwait-based organization co-founded by Al-Otaibi to promote humanity's expansion into space through education and the arts. ASCI is powered by a dynamic local team, including Dr Rawan Al-Shemmery, astrophysicist Al-Areedh and contributors Mohammed Al-Thuwainy and Mohammad Al-Failakawi.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
Transporter-14 Mission: SpaceX To Launch Capsules Of DNA, Human Remains Into Space
SpaceX is set to launch the Transporter-14 rideshare mission on a Falcon 9 rocket on Monday (June 23), carrying capsules containing DNA samples and cremated remains from people around the world, reported. The samples will be onboard the Perseverance Flight, which is a project by Celestis, a Houston-based company, that offers a unique way to honour loved ones. The Perseverance Flight will carry more than 150 capsules with samples. The company said that after reaching space, the capsules will return to Earth aboard their recovery vehicle. The memorial capsules will land safely in the Pacific Ocean, where they will be recovered and returned to the family as a "lasting tribute" to their loved one's journey among the stars. The flight will travel at 17,000 miles per hour and achieve Low Earth Orbit after its launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It will complete two to three full orbits around Earth before gently re-entering the atmosphere. The development highlights the trend of space burial, which has happened in the past. Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, was the first person to have his remains buried in space in 1992. Eugene Merle Shoemaker, a renowned astronaut, was the first person to have his remains buried on the Moon. Timothy Leary, a psychologist and philosopher, also had his remains launched into space. In an X post, SpaceX updated that the launch date was changed from Sunday to Monday due to unfavourable weather. Due to unfavorable weather, now targeting Monday, June 23 for launch of the Transporter-14 mission from California → — SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 22, 2025 Celestis announced that it has entered into a new launch service in collaboration with The Exploration Company (TEC) - a European spacecraft manufacturer. "Celestis is pleased to offer a new type of Earth Rise mission, thanks to The Exploration Company," Charles Chafer, the company's co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. "Our participants' capsules will orbit the Earth and return via the Mission Possible capsule, creating a spectacular liftoff and recovery experience." What is space burial, and what are the common methods to do it? The space burial is a unique way to honour the loved ones by launching cremated remains into space. Earth Orbit: Remains are launched into orbit around the Earth, where they stay for some time before burning up upon re-entry. Moon Burial: Remains are taken to the lunar surface, providing a lasting tribute. Deep Space: Remains are launched into deep space, travelling beyond the solar system. Suborbital Flights: Short flights that cross the boundary of space without reaching orbital velocity, often returning to Earth.
