According to Space.com, these missions have carried cremated remains and/or DNA samples of several Star Trek legends, including Nichelle Nichols, DeForest Kelley, Gene Roddenberry and his wife Majel Barrett Roddenberry, and James “Scotty” Doohan.
Celestis also facilitated the transport of cremated remains of four former U.S. presidents—George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan—aboard last year’s “Enterprise” spaceflight.
Recently, Celestis announced a new partnership in launch services with European exploration company TEC, a spacecraft manufacturer. TEC will host a special payload from Celestis' memorial spaceflight on its upcoming “The Possible Mission,” set to launch today aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during the "Transporter-14" mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The flight will carry over 150 flight capsules containing cremated remains and DNA samples from clients around the world.
This will be TEC’s second test run ahead of the inaugural orbital launch of its “NYX” vehicle, which is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station sometime in 2028.
“The Possible Mission” will mark the first time a TEC spacecraft carries customer payloads into orbit. According to Celestis, the spacecraft will reach low Earth orbit, complete two or three rotations around the planet, and then reenter the atmosphere.
The memorial capsules will then land in the Pacific Ocean and be returned to clients as keepsakes.
This will be Celestis’ twelfth mission under its “Earth Rise” program and its twenty-fifth space mission overall.