Since we are all full of… stardust (watch Brian Cox‘s more detailed explanation on all of that), taking the final journey to space and entering the atmosphere as a shooting star seems the perfect way to exit stage.
For just $1,990, you could visit a low Earth orbit. The bad news is that first of all, you need fit in an urn, preferably in the form of ashes. Not all the ashes resulting in the cremation of the body get to go to space, but only a small sample. Secondly, this is a one way ticket, so if by any chance, this planet loves you so much that it can’t let you go, the only way back is through the Earth’s atmosphere. This should be quite the show, and considering the price, it’s really a bargain.
Elysium Space will get the capsule containing the ashes aboard the next available spacecraft. As tempting as all of this might sound, the space burial service is not yet available, but the company is making preparations so that everything can take off (quite literally) next summer. Should the space launch get delayed or canceled, Elysium assures its clients that the urn would be sent with the next available spacecraft.
Following the space journey of the lucky traveler will be possible via an app that will run both on iOS and Android. The duration of this journey can range between several months and a few years, but after a complete revolution around Earth, you no longer are in Elysium’s jurisdiction. The offer is very tempting, but the company does have its competition. Others promise to send cremated remains even further than that.
It seems that it’s easier to travel to a low Earth orbit in an urn than as a living being, at least financially speaking. As long as you’re delivered in an urn and there’s no return ticket, it doesn’t matter what space burial service provider you use, as the price is always going to be a fraction of a ticket aboard Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo. Becoming a space tourist and leaving the planet aboard that shuttle would cost $250,000, while Celestis (Elysium’s competitor) can send urns to the Earth orbit for $4,995. Besides, the same company can send people on their last road either to the Moon or to deep space for $12,500.
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