After Mission Bikini, Possible fails: Spacecraft scatters human ashes, marijuana for Mars in Pacific. It didn't mean to

A mission to carry the remains of more than 160 dead people to space and return them to their families failed terribly when the spacecraft carrying them crashed into the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, June 24. The unfortunate families will never be able to see the remains of their loved ones again. The Exploration Company, a German aerospace startup, carried out "Mission Possible", its first attempt to carry customer payloads. It was part of the Transporter-14 rideshare mission launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on June 23 from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Nyx, a 1.6-ton reentry capsule, was part of the 70 payloads aboard it. It carried roughly 300 kilograms of cargo on a trip around the Earth. This included the ashes and DNA of more than 166 deceased people. Celestis, a memorial spaceflight company based in Houston, Texas, had provided the human remains. It was intended to return safely to Earth, after which they would have been returned to their families. Nyx successfully reached orbit, but its return mission was a flop as the parachute system failed, according to Celestis.

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Spacecraft with human remains falls into ocean

The company said in a statement that because of the unfortunate situation, it would "not be able to recover or return the flight capsules aboard." “We share in the disappointment of our families, and we offer our sincerest gratitude for their trust.” Celestis admitted that losing the remains of beloved family members of those who trusted them was a significant personal loss. “In the coming days, our team will reach out to each family individually to offer support and discuss possible next steps,” the company said.

Company hopes families will find peace that their loved ones went to space

It added that it hoped the families would find 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 honoured sea scattering." Meanwhile, The Exploration Company deemed Mission Possible a "partial success." It said that they lost communication with the spacecraft a few minutes before splashdown, and are now investigating the cause.

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Other things on the Nyx payload included cannabis that was given by Martian Grow, an open-source citizen science project whose ultimate aim is to grow marijuana on Mars. This was The Exploration Company’s second flight after it launched Mission Bikini. In July 2024, a smaller reentry capsule was launched aboard the first Ariane 6 flight. However, the rocket’s upper stage suffered an anomaly, and it remained stuck in orbit with Bikini still attached.