European spacecraft built to carry astronauts is launching first with human remains from 150 people on board - and it's costing big money
Published on Jun 25, 2025 at 4:41 AM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jun 25, 2025 at 1:30 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The new Exploration Company spacecraft was unveiled at the Paris Air Show on June 16, 2025, and while they have long-term plans for Nyx to be manned by astronauts, for now, it will carry interesting cargo.
Its commercial load will include 300KG of cargo, such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and alcohol-related goods, but that’s not what we’re talking about.
Eventually, it will have four to five live astronauts on board, but for now, this ship isn’t concerned with the living.
That’s because there are about 150 dead people – or their remains – on board.
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Why the spacecraft is carrying human remains
The Nyx spacecraft of ‘Mission Possible’ will include a spacecraft with a mass of 1.6 tons and a diameter of 2.5 meters.
It is carrying cremated remains and DNA from about 150 people.
It’s part of a mission to provide cosmic memorial services to people who favor outer space over a traditional burial on Earth.
It was scheduled to launch on SpaceX’s Transporter-14 in California on Monday, spend three hours in orbit, and finally splash down into the Pacific Ocean.
Luckily, we recently saw NASA practicing dramatic astronaut ocean rescues just in case anything goes wrong.
Nyx is currently being developed for cargo missions, with a demonstration flight to the International Space Station (ISS) planned for 2028 through a European Space Agency (ESA) program.
As mentioned, the company has long-term ambitions for crewed human spaceflight aboard Nyx.
With four to five astronauts inside the spacecraft, it would be a bit of a squeeze.
The crewed version would boast interior design features including windows and touchscreen controls, similar to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
The mission is going to cost big money
In terms of a countdown to blastoff, a fully crewed Nyx would take approximately 10 years to develop and cost around €1 billion ($1.15 billion) – not surprising when you consider some astronauts are wearing Prada in orbit.
Even NASA astronauts’ regular spacesuits cost the same six-figure sum as a 2017 Lamborghini Huracán.
Being beyond the financial reach of private or national efforts means that both ESA and European governments must back the crewed spacecraft.
The Exploration Company is pushing for a commitment at the ESA ministerial conference in Bremen this November, calling it a ‘now or never’ moment for European human spaceflight.
Despite the company’s first test, ‘Mission Bikini ‘, failing in 2024, due to a launch system malfunction – the team remains hopeful.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
