A unique space capsule, which was carrying the ashes of 166 people, ended up at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean after orbiting around the Earth. A German startup launched the Nyx capsule on "Mission Possible", carrying the remains of 166 people who wanted to be buried in space along with cannabis seeds.
However, the capsule completed two orbits after it was launched on June 23 and then plummeted to Earth, dropping into the Pacific Ocean. The Exploration Company (TEC) which created the capsule said that Mission Possible was a "partial success"
"Our spacecraft Mission Possible achieved partial success (partial failure). The capsule was launched successfully, powered the payloads nominally in orbit, stabilised itself after separation from the launcher, re-entered and re-established communication after blackout," it said in a LinkedIn post.
Take a look at the full post here:
However, it said that when the capsule returned to Earth’s orbit, it “lost communication” with the company for “a few minutes before splash down."
{{/usCountry}}However, it said that when the capsule returned to Earth’s orbit, it “lost communication” with the company for “a few minutes before splash down."
{{/usCountry}}The startup said that it was still investigating the "root causes" of the sudden crash and will share more information soon.
It did, however, apologise to their clients who trusted them with the remains of their loved ones.
"We apologize to all our clients who entrusted us with their payloads. We thank our teams for their hard work and their dedication to success. We have been pushing boundaries in record time and cost. This partial success reflects both ambition and the inherent risks of innovation. 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 wrote.
The Texas-based space burial company Celestis, which was also part of the mission, stated that they will not be able to recover or return the flight capsules or ashes aboard. "We also recognise that no technical achievement replaces the profound personal meaning this service holds for our families,” Celestis co-founder and CEO Charles M Chafer said.