Space Burial: Cost, How It Works and Who Offers It

A space burial, properly called a memorial spaceflight, launches a small symbolic portion of a person's cremated remains, or a DNA sample, in a sealed capsule on a rocket. Celestis, the best-known provider, lists starting prices from $3,495 for a flight that returns to Earth to $12,995 for a trip to the Moon or deep space. Families keep the rest of the ashes, and launch dates can move.

What is actually sent into space?

Launching a whole body or all of the ashes would be impractical, so providers fly a small portion. Celestis describes it as a symbolic portion of cremated remains, placed in an individual sealed flight capsule. Celestis does not state a per-person weight on its pricing pages, so ask the provider how much they need.

The capsules usually ride as secondary payloads, attached to a satellite or launch vehicle that is there for another purpose. The remains are not scattered in space. They stay sealed in the capsule for the whole flight.

What are the types of memorial spaceflight?

Celestis groups its flights into four main services. These are its starting prices, as listed on its pricing page in September 2026, so check the current list.

Celestis also lists Mars300 from $24,995, a flight toward Mars. For Earth Orbit flights, Celestis says the time in orbit depends on the final altitude of the main satellite on the mission.

Other companies have offered similar services, including Elysium Space, which had capsules aboard the 2024 Peregrine lunar mission, and firms in Japan and elsewhere. Check each company's current status and upcoming missions before you pay a deposit. Elysium's website lists only past launches, the most recent being the 2024 Peregrine mission.

Can you send DNA instead of ashes?

Yes. Celestis DNA collects a sample with a mouth swab, and Celestis says it is available on the same terms, including price, as its remains flights. That can suit someone who chose burial, or a living person who wants to fly. It can also be an option when cremation does not fit a family's beliefs, though you should talk to your clergy if that matters to you.

How does the process work?

Celestis describes these steps:

1. Reserve and sign a contract. A primary contact is named and receives updates.
2. Receive a sample kit. It is mailed to your funeral service provider or to the primary contact, with instructions and tools for collecting the sample.
3. Fill the capsule. The sample is stored securely, and a licensed funeral director helps Celestis staff transfer it into the individual flight capsules, which are permanently sealed.
4. Integration. The capsules are taken to the launch provider and attached to the satellite or launch vehicle, and photographed.
5. Launch. Families can attend a memorial event and watch the liftoff, or watch a webcast.
6. After the flight. Families receive a video and a certificate of mission success. On Earth Rise flights the flown capsule is returned.

Celestis also says you can view the location of its Earth-orbiting memorial spacecraft in real time on its website.

Is it legally a burial?

No. The remains are cremated first and flown as cargo, so the usual death registration and cremation steps still apply, and the provider will tell you what documents it needs. See our guide to what to do with ashes.

How long does it take?

There is no set timeline. A launch is tied to a mission schedule, and Celestis says dates and locations can change for technical, regulatory and other reasons outside its control. Some flights are scheduled a year or more ahead. That means a space memorial is often held as a separate event from the funeral.

If you plan to travel to a launch, book refundable or flexible travel. Delays are common in spaceflight.

What are the risks?

Rocket launches can fail. On 8 January 2024 the Peregrine lunar lander launched on the first Vulcan Centaur rocket, then developed a propellant leak that made a Moon landing impossible. It re-entered over the South Pacific on 18 January 2024. Two space burial companies, Celestis and Elysium Space, had capsules aboard, and they were lost. On the same launch, Celestis's separate Enterprise Flight, carried by the Vulcan's upper stage, reached orbit around the Sun, according to Wikipedia's summary of the company.

Earlier failures have also occurred. Ask any provider for its launch history and its re-flight policy in writing. Celestis says a priority re-flight is offered at no additional cost on the next scheduled launch of the same service type if a mission is unsuccessful.

Who has had a space burial?

• Gene Roddenberry, Timothy Leary, Gerard K. O'Neill and Krafft Ehricke were among those whose remains flew on Celestis's first flight in April 1997, according to Wikipedia's summary of the company.
• Eugene Shoemaker's remains went to the Moon aboard NASA's Lunar Prospector, launched on 6 January 1998. The spacecraft was deliberately crashed into a shadowed crater on the Moon on 31 July 1999, and NASA notes that crater is named for Shoemaker.

What can you do with the rest of the ashes?

You keep almost all of the ashes. Options include burying them, scattering them where it is permitted, keeping them at home, or turning part of them into a memorial. Our guide on what to do with ashes and dividing ashes in a family can help. If you are weighing other unusual choices, see turning ashes into reef balls and our guide to funeral alternatives.

What to ask before you book

1. What does the contract guarantee if the launch fails or is delayed?
2. Which launch provider and which mission will carry the capsule, and when is it scheduled?
3. How much of the ashes are needed, and how is the sample sealed?
4. What is included: capsule, video, certificate, tracking, and launch-site event costs?
5. What are the payment terms and refund rules?
6. Does the provider accept pets? Policies differ, so ask.