Talk about going out with a bang.
Elysium Space, a San Francisco-based “memorial spaceflight” company, is planning to send the ashes of those who have recently died into space on one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rockets, CNBC reports. Elysium is comprised of ex-NASA employees and funeral experts, and aims to “change the vision of death from the underground to the celestial,” according to CNBC.
Customers who sign up receive a custom ash capsule for their loves one’s cremated remains. Once the ashes are collected, the customer sends the capsule back to Elysium Space, where it is placed in the company’s spacecraft. Finally, the spacecraft holding the ashes will be launched into orbit on Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Reservations are $2,490. Thus far, the company has about 100 reservations booked, according to CNBC.
“For about 2 years, our memorial spacecraft will respectfully and peacefully orbit the Earth,” Elysium Space CEO Thomas Civeit, told CNBC in an email. “Eventually, in a last poetic moment, the spacecraft will harmlessly re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere, blazing as a shooting star.”
To follow the progress of the spacecraft, family and friends can use an Apple iOS or Google Android app, CNBC reports. The launch date is currently unknown, but is slated to take place at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.