Celestis

Celestis, Inc.Type| Subsidiary

|

Industry| Space burials
Founded| 1994
Founders| Charles M. Chafer
R. Chan Tysor
Headquarters|

Houston, Texas

United States

Parent| Space Services Inc.
Website| celestis.com

Celestis, Inc. is a company that launches cremated human remains into space, a procedure known as a space burial. It is a subsidiary of the private space company Space Services Inc.[1] The company purchases launches as a secondary payload on various launch vehicles, and launches samples of a person's cremated remains. Launching an individual's entire cremated remains (which weigh between four and eight pounds)[2] would be prohibitively expensive for most people, so Celestis launches small portions of 1-7 grams.[3]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Flights
* 3 References
* 4 External links

## History

Celestis has flown a number of notable participants over the years. Its first flight – The Founders Flight — carried cremated remains of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and 1960s icon Timothy Leary into Earth orbit. Also on board were remains of physicist and space visionary Gerard K. O'Neill, noted rocket scientist Krafft A. Ehricke, and 20 others.[4] Dr. Eugene Shoemaker — a famous planetary geologist and co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 – was launched to the Moon on NASA's Lunar Prospector mission in 1998: Celestis helped friends of Dr. Shoemaker include a sample of his cremated remains on that mission.[5] Mercury 7 astronaut L. Gordon Cooper,[6] Star Trek actor James Doohan ("Mr. Scott"),[7] and a host of others from various walks of life were launched on board The Legacy Flight in 2007.[8] Titanic explorer Ralph White was on board the Discovery[9] and Pioneer[10] flights.

Family members and friends of flight participants usually can attend the launch. Celestis usually arranges for a tour of the launch facility and hosts a non-sectarian memorial service prior to the launch.[3] Celestis also helps people prearrange their own memorial spaceflights for the future.[11]

## Flights

Launch date / time (UTC) | Launch vehicle | Flight name | Orbit | Notable Individuals | Remarks

|
|
|
|
|

21 April 1997, 11:59  | Pegasus-XL | Founders[12] | Earth orbit | Beauford Franklin, rocket scientist
Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek creator
Gerard O'Neill, physicist
Krafft Ehricke, rocket scientist
Timothy Leary, psychologist, writer  | Reached Earth orbit; Reentered atmosphere 20 May 2002
7 January 1998, 02:29  | Athena  | Luna-01[12] | Lunar[broken anchor] | Eugene Merle Shoemaker, astronomer  | Attached to Lunar Prospector
Landed 31 July 1999 [13]
10 December 1998, 13:20  | Taurus  | Ad Astra[12] | Earth orbit  |  | Reached Earth orbit; still on orbit
21 December 1999, 07:13  | Taurus  | Millennial[12] | Earth orbit  | Charles Oren Bennett, illustrator  | Reached Earth orbit; still on orbit
21 September 2001, 18:49  | Taurus  | Odyssey[12] | Earth orbit  |  | Failed to orbit
28 April 2007, 14:56  | SpaceLoft XL  | Legacy  | Earthrise (suborbital)  | Gordon Cooper, astronaut
James Doohan, Star Trek actor  | Reached space and returned to Earth, as planned
3 August 2008, 03:34  | Falcon 1 | Explorers  | Earth orbit  | Gordon Cooper, astronaut
James Doohan, Star Trek actor  | Failed to orbit[14]
2 May 2009, 14:00  | SpaceLoft XL  | Discovery  | Earthrise (suborbital)  | Ralph White, explorer[15] | Failed to reach space[16][17]
4 May 2010, 12:41  | SpaceLoft XL  | Pioneer  | Earthrise (suborbital)  | Ralph White, explorer[18] | Reached space and returned to Earth, as planned
20 May 2011, 13:21  | SpaceLoft XL  | Goddard  | Earthrise (suborbital)  |  | Reached space and returned to Earth, as planned
22 May 2012, 07:44  | Falcon 9 | New Frontier[19] | Earth orbit  | Gordon Cooper, astronaut
James Doohan, Star Trek actor  | Reached orbit, on a canister attached to the Falcon 9 launch vehicle's second stage.[20] Reentered Earth's atmosphere on 27 June 2012.[21] It carried the ashes of 308 people, 1-gram per person.[22]
21 June 2013, 11:57  | SpaceLoft XL  | Centennial[23] | Earthrise (suborbital)  | Candy Johnson, entertainer  | Reached space and returned to Earth, as planned
23 October 2014, 13:33  | SpaceLoft XL  | Conestoga[24] | Earthrise (suborbital)  | CJ Twomey  | Reached space and returned to Earth, as planned
6 November 2015, 15:01  | SpaceLoft XL  | Tribute[25] | Earthrise (suborbital)  |  | Reached space and returned to Earth, as planned
17 September 2018, 14:09  | SpaceLoft XL  | Starseeker[26] | Earthrise (suborbital)  |  | Reached space and returned to Earth, as planned
25 June 2019, 06:30  | Falcon Heavy | Heritage[27] | Earth orbit  | William Reid Pogue, astronaut [28] | Reached orbit successfully
24 January 2023, 15:00  | Falcon 9 | Horizon[29] | Earth orbit  |  | Reached orbit successfully
25 May 2022, 18:35  | Falcon 9 | Ascension[30] | Earth orbit  |  | Reached orbit successfully
15 April 2023, 06:48  | Falcon 9 | Excelsior[31] | Earth orbit  | Dave Barrett, journalist  | Reached orbit successfully
1 May 2023, 16:45  | SpaceLoft-XL  | Aurora[32] | Earthrise (suborbital)  | Philip K. Chapman, astronaut  | Launch vehicle failure
All the capsules containing the ashes were successfully recovered, and they are scheduled to be launched again in 2024 on the “Perseverance Flight”.[33]
8 January 2024, 07:18  | Vulcan Centaur  | Tranquility  | Lunar landing  | Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek creator
Majel Barrett, Star Trek actress
Mareta West, first female Astrogeologist
Arthur C. Clarke, Science Fiction Writer  | Reached orbit successfully, failure of Peregrine Mission One shortly after orbit led to abandonment of Lunar landing. Returned to Earth.[34]
8 January 2024, 07:18  | Vulcan Centaur  | Enterprise  | Heliocentric  | Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek creator
Majel Barrett, Star Trek actress
James Doohan, Star Trek actor[35][36]
DeForest Kelley, Star Trek actor
George Washington, US president
John F. Kennedy, US president
Dwight D. Eisenhower, US president
Ronald Reagan, US president[37][38] | Reached orbit successfully
16 August 2024, 18:56  | Falcon 9 | Harmony  | Earth orbit  | Philip K. Chapman, astronaut
Michael Lampton, astronaut[39] | Reached orbit successfully

## References

1. ↑ "Launch ashes – Space burial – Space funeral – Cremation memorials". Celestis.com. 1 January 1995. http://www.celestis.com/about.asp.
2. ↑ "Cremation Process". Cremationassociation.org. https://www.cremationassociation.org/page/CremationProcess.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Launch ashes – Space burial – Space funeral – Cremation memorials". Celestis.com. 1 January 1995. http://www.celestis.com/faq.asp.
4. ↑ "Celestis Memorial Spaceflights – The Founders Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/founders/default.asp.
5. ↑ "Launch ashes – Space burial – Space funeral – Cremation memorials". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/luna01/lunar01.asp.
6. ↑ "Participants on board The Legacy Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/legacy/cooper.asp.
7. ↑ "Participants on board The Legacy Flight". Celestis.com. 31 August 2004. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/legacy/doohan.asp.
8. ↑ "The founders of Celestis bring you: Space Services Inc. – Memorial Spaceflights". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/legacy/default.asp.
9. ↑ "Participants on board The Discovery Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/discovery/white.asp.
10. ↑ "Participants on board The Pioneer Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/pioneer/white.asp.
11. ↑ "Launch ashes – Space burial – Space funeral – Cremation memorials". Celestis.com. 1 January 1995. http://www.celestis.com/advance_planning.asp.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 "Launch manifest". Celestis. http://www.celestis.com/manifest.asp.
13. ↑ "NO WATER ICE DETECTED FROM LUNAR PROSPECTOR IMPACT". NASA. 13 October 1999. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/1999/99_63AR.html. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
14. ↑ Bergin, Chris (August 2, 2008). "SpaceX Falcon I fails during first stage flight". NASASpaceFlight.com. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2008/08/spacex-falcon-i-fails-during-first-stage-flight/.
15. ↑ "Ralph Bradshaw White". The Discovery Flight. Celestis. http://www.celestis.com/memorial/discovery/white.asp.
16. ↑ "Officials Praise NM Rocket Launch". KOAT. 2 May 2009. http://www.koat.com/news/19351869/detail.html.
17. ↑ "Rocket falls short of altitude goal at space port". KVIA.com. 2 May 2009. http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?S=10291837&nav=AbC0.
18. ↑ "Celestis Memorial Spaceflights – The Pioneer Flight". Celestis.com. http://www.celestis.com/pioneerFlight.asp.
19. ↑ "The New Frontier Memorial Spaceflight". Celestis. http://www.celestis.com/newfrontierFlight.asp.
20. ↑ "Star Trek's "Scotty" finally launched into space". CBS News. Associated Press (New York). 2012-05-22. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/star-treks-scotty-finally-launched-into-space/.
21. ↑ "CELESTIS 11/FALCON 9 R/B". n2yo.com. https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=38349.
22. ↑ Moskowitz, Clara (2012-05-22). "Ashes of Star Trek's 'Scotty' Ride Private Rocket Into Space". Space.com (New York). http://www.space.com/15810-scotty-ashes-spacex-rocket-launch.html.
23. ↑ "Celestis Memorial Spaceflights – The Centennial Flight". Celestis.com. http://celestis.com/centennialFlight.asp.
24. ↑ "Celestis Memorial Spaceflights – The Conestoga Flight". Celestis.com. http://celestis.com/conestogaFlight.asp.
25. ↑ "Tribute Flight | Celestis Memorial Spaceflights". https://www.celestis.com/launch-schedule/tribute-flight/.
26. ↑ "Starseeker Flight | Celestis Memorial Spaceflights". https://www.celestis.com/launch-schedule/starseeker-flight/.
27. ↑ "Heritage Flight". Celestis. https://www.celestis.com/launch-schedule/heritage-flight/.
28. ↑ Mack, Eric (23 June 2019). "SpaceX Falcon Heavy to launch ashes of an all-star, astronaut and others". CNET. https://www.cnet.com/news/spacex-falcon-heavy-to-launch-ashes-of-an-all-star-astronaut-and-others/.
29. ↑ "Horizon Flight". Celestis. https://www.celestis.com/launch-schedule/horizon-flight/.
30. ↑ "Ascension Flight". Celestis. https://www.celestis.com/launch-schedule/ascension-flight/.
31. ↑ "Excelsior Flight". Celestis. https://www.celestis.com/launch-schedule/excelsior-flight/.
32. ↑ "Aurora Flight". Celestis. https://www.celestis.com/launch-schedule/aurora-flight/.
33. ↑ 宇宙葬・スペースメモリアル（Space Memorial） | 日本で最多成功実績
34. ↑ "US company's failed Peregrine Moon lander believed to have burned up after re-entry over Australia". https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-19/peregrine-moon-lander-astrobotic-burned-up-re-entry-australia/103368240. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
35. ↑ "ULAが新型ロケット「ヴァルカン」初号機の打ち上げに成功 2号機の打ち上げは数か月後の予定". 2024-01-11. https://sorae.info/space/20240111-vulcan.html. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
36. ↑ "The first Vulcan rocket will launch ashes of Star Trek actors, fans and more into space". 2022-08-17. https://www.space.com/star-trek-ashes-first-vulcan-rocket-ula. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
37. ↑ "PRESIDENTS WASHINGTON, EISENHOWER, AND KENNEDY TO FLY ABOARD CELESTIS’ ENTERPRISE FLIGHT". https://www.celestis.com/blog/presidents-washington-eisenhower-and-kennedy-to-fly-aboard-celestis-enterprise-flight/. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
38. ↑ "From Hair to Eternity: locks of US presidents heading to space". 2023-02-20. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-hair-eternity-space.html. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
39. ↑ "Harmony Flight participants". Celestis. https://www.celestis.com/launch-schedule/harmony-flight/participants/.

## External links

* Official website

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