For many families, cremation is chosen for reasons that are practical—simplicity, flexibility, cost, or a loved one’s clear wishes. But what happens next is rarely “just practical.” The moment the cremation is complete, the questions get quieter and more personal: what to do with ashes, where they should rest, and how to create a memorial that feels like the person you’re missing.
For most people, the next step is familiar: choosing cremation urns, setting aside a small portion in keepsake urns, wearing cremation jewelry, or planning a scattering or water burial. Yet for a small number of families—especially those who loved astronomy, science, aviation, exploration, or simply the idea of “the great beyond”—there’s another option that feels strikingly aligned with the life that was lived: deep space burial. In commercial spaceflight terms, it can mean sending a tiny memorial capsule (a symbolic portion of ashes or DNA) on a trajectory designed to leave the Earth–Moon neighborhood and continue on a long-term path around the sun, sometimes described as “infinite” travel.
This is rare, and it’s not for everyone. It can also be deeply meaningful when it fits. The key is to understand what “deep space” really means, what the mission profiles look like, what risks and tracking limitations exist, and how to build a plan that still supports your family here on Earth—because even if a loved one’s memorial capsule is headed toward the stars, the rest of their story (and their ashes) still needs a home.
Why “deep space” is suddenly part of modern cremation conversations
One reason space memorials are appearing more often in conversations is simple: cremation has become the majority choice in the United States. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate is projected at 63.4% for 2025, and NFDA projects it could reach 82.3% by 2045. The same NFDA statistics page also notes median 2023 costs of $8,300 for a funeral with viewing and burial and $6,280 for a funeral with viewing and cremation (not including cemetery costs). When cremation becomes common, memorialization becomes more varied—because families have more choices about timing, location, and how ashes are kept or shared.
The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) also tracks these trends year over year. In its 2024 Annual Statistics Report summary, CANA shows a five-year average U.S. cremation rate reaching 60.6% in 2023. As more families choose cremation, it’s natural that more families search for options beyond a single traditional urn on a shelf—options like small cremation urns, shared keepsakes, jewelry, scattering, and yes, memorial spaceflight.
What “deep space burial” means in commercial spaceflight
In movies, “deep space” can mean the edge of the universe. In commercial memorial spaceflight, “deep space” is a specific technical idea: the memorial payload is placed on a trajectory intended to escape the Earth–Moon system and continue on a long-term path around the sun (a heliocentric trajectory). That doesn’t mean the capsule will pass Pluto or leave the galaxy. It means it is designed not to return to Earth, and it is expected to continue traveling on a solar orbit for a very long time.
For example, Celestis describes its Infinite Flight as a mission that sends a memorial “beyond the Earth-Moon system” into “permanent solar orbit,” emphasizing that it will not return to Earth. Space coverage of the same concept often uses the phrase “permanent heliocentric orbit.” Space.com reported on Celestis’ plans for a deep-space memorial mission described as traveling beyond the Earth–Moon system into permanent heliocentric orbit.
If you’ve seen phrases like heliocentric orbit memorial or memorial spaceflight permanent orbit, they’re pointing to that same core idea: Earth escape, then a solar trajectory. NASA’s own mission design references frame this transition similarly: Earth-escape injection is tied to departure into a heliocentric orbit in interplanetary mission planning. You can see that language in NASA’s Trajectory Browser User Guide, which explains how Earth-escape injection relates to insertion into heliocentric trajectories.
Typical mission profiles and how “deep space” compares
Families sometimes hear “space burial” and assume there is only one kind. In reality, memorial spaceflight services often fall into a few broad profiles, and “deep space” is the most extreme in terms of distance and permanence. Some experiences are suborbital—designed to cross into space and return quickly—where the launch itself is the central ritual. Other missions place a capsule into Earth orbit for a period of time, depending on the mission design. There are also lunar options that aim for the moon (orbit, flyby, or other profiles depending on the provider and mission). Deep space missions go further: the goal is to leave the Earth–Moon system and continue on a heliocentric path—what many families describe as “infinite.”
Elysium Space, for instance, describes services that include Earth orbit, lunar, and deep space options, framing deep space as a long-term journey beyond the immediate Earth neighborhood. Their overview of offerings is available at Elysium Space. Celestis similarly presents multiple mission “destinations,” including beyond-Earth options, on its official site at Celestis.
That variety is part of why families planning a space funeral options conversation often end up returning to the basics: what portion of ashes or DNA will be sent, and what will stay with the family. Even when a memorial capsule is launched, most families still want a tangible point of remembrance at home—something that can be held, visited, carried, or shared.
The part space doesn’t replace: urns, keepsakes, and the home memorial
Deep space burial is often described as sending “ashes,” but nearly always it means sending a symbolic portion—sometimes a pinch-sized amount, sometimes a small measured quantity—and keeping the rest in traditional memorial forms. That is where choices like cremation urns for ashes, keepsake urns, and cremation necklaces become especially helpful. A space mission can be the “journey,” while your home memorial becomes the “place.”
If your family wants a primary urn at home, Funeral.com’s Cremation Urns for Ashes collection is a good starting point for comparing materials and styles. If you already know you’ll be dividing ashes—for example, keeping most at home while sending a small portion on a deep space memorial DNA or ash flight—then Small Cremation Urns for Ashes and Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes can support a “shared” plan without forcing anyone to feel like they’re taking too much or too little.
Jewelry can also be part of that same division, especially when grief doesn’t stay in one place. Cremation jewelry is often chosen because it’s portable, private, and steady—something you can carry into the grocery store, a meeting, a flight, or a hard anniversary. You can explore Funeral.com’s Cremation Jewelry collection and the Cremation Necklaces collection if wearable memorialization is part of your plan.
And because planning can feel overwhelming when you’re grieving, it often helps to read the “how” alongside the “what.” Families who want a practical overview often start with Funeral.com’s guide Cremation Urn 101 and the quick, decision-steadying guide How to Choose the Best Cremation Urn. Both can help you map your real-life plan—home display, burial, scattering, travel, or a portion reserved for a spaceflight—before you pick a specific vessel.
Deep space burial and “keeping ashes at home” can work together
Families sometimes worry that if they do something unusual—like sending a loved one beyond the moon—they are somehow abandoning the idea of closeness. In practice, the opposite is often true. A deep space burial plan typically includes a very grounded home plan: a primary urn, a keepsake, a small display area, and perhaps one piece of jewelry that someone wears daily.
If your plan includes keeping ashes at home, it helps to think about safety and long-term practicality: where the urn will sit, whether children or pets can reach it, whether you want a more discreet design, and what you want guests to see. Funeral.com’s guide Keeping Ashes at Home: How to Do It Safely, Respectfully, and Legally walks through those real-life considerations in a way that many families find calming.
This is also where small cremation urns and keepsake urns can reduce tension in families. Deep space burial can be deeply symbolic, but grief is individual. One person may feel comfort imagining a loved one traveling in a heliocentric orbit memorial, while another may simply want a quiet candle and an urn on a shelf. A “shareable” plan can honor both, without forcing anyone to compromise their relationship with the person who died.
Pet companions, shared grief, and sending a piece of love with them
The desire for unusual memorials doesn’t only happen after a human death. Some families consider space memorials for beloved companions too, especially when a pet was central to a person’s daily life. More commonly, families create a pet-focused memorial at home—because the routines of love are what you miss most.
If you are choosing pet urns, Funeral.com’s Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes collection is broad enough to support many styles, from simple boxes to photo-frame urns. For families who want a display that feels like art as well as memory, Pet Figurine Cremation Urns for Ashes can be a gentle fit. And if multiple people want to keep a small portion, Pet Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes makes sharing possible without creating pressure.
For practical guidance, Funeral.com’s How to Choose the Right Pet Urn can help you size and select an urn in a way that feels steady, especially when grief makes decision-making foggy.
Evaluating risk honestly: what can go wrong, and what “success” means
Space is beautiful, and space is unforgiving. A compassionate deep space burial conversation should include risk—without sensationalizing it. Space missions can be delayed. Launch providers can change. Payload manifests can shift. Even when a mission reaches orbit, a capsule may not behave as expected on return. And because deep space missions are designed not to return, “tracking” can mean different things than families assume.
One of the clearest examples of why risk matters came in 2025. Space.com reported that a memorial payload associated with Celestis’ Perseverance Flight was presumed lost after The Exploration Company’s Nyx capsule experienced an anomaly and crashed into the sea during a planned return. Families reading about that kind of event often realize something important: even when the service is carefully planned, “space” introduces variables that no one can fully control.
That doesn’t mean deep space burial is “unsafe” in a simple way. It means you should define success with clear language before you pay. For a deep space burial mission, success is typically “the memorial capsule is deployed on an Earth-escape trajectory into a solar orbit,” not “we can recover it,” and not “we can track it like an AirTag.”
What to ask about tracking and documentation
If you are considering a deep space memorial, ask the provider to explain—plainly—what you will receive afterward. Many families feel steadier when they know exactly which documents to expect and when. While specifics vary, it helps to walk through the same core questions each time: What does “deep space” mean for this specific mission—Earth escape, lunar flyby, or another profile? Is the intended outcome a long-term heliocentric trajectory (a “permanent solar orbit”), and how is that verified? How much material is required—ashes, DNA, or both—and what happens to unused material? What documentation is provided (for example, a flight manifest listing, a certificate of participation, mission profile details, and chain-of-custody steps)? And if the launch is delayed or the mission changes vehicles or partners, what happens to your reservation, your memorial capsule, and your timeline?
If you want an example of how providers describe a “beyond the Earth–Moon system” concept, review Celestis’ Infinite Flight description and compare it with independent reporting such as Space.com’s coverage of the planned mission profile. You’re looking for alignment between marketing language and technical intent.
How deep space burial fits into funeral planning, not outside it
It’s tempting to treat a space memorial as a standalone decision: choose the provider, send the kit, wait for the launch. But most families do better when they place it inside a broader funeral planning framework. Your family still needs a timeline: when the cremation happens, when ashes are divided, when you gather people, and what you do while you wait for a launch window that might be months away.
That’s why a traditional memorial plan often works beautifully alongside a deep space option. You might hold a service soon after cremation with a primary urn present, then send a symbolic portion on a later flight. Or you might send the capsule first and hold a memorial on launch week, turning the livestream or launch updates into part of the ritual. If you need a steady, step-by-step structure for the early days, Funeral.com’s guide How to Plan a Funeral in 7 Steps can help you organize the logistics without losing the heart of what you’re doing.
Cost planning matters here too. Space memorials are typically an additional expense layered on top of cremation and memorialization. If you’re trying to understand the baseline question—how much does cremation cost—and how urns and keepsakes fit into the full picture, Funeral.com’s guide How Much Does Cremation Cost? can help you plan without unpleasant surprises. Many families find it easier to decide on an “ashes plan” when they can see how the pieces add up: cremation arrangements, any gathering, a primary urn, and then optional items like keepsakes, jewelry, or a rare experience like a deep space burial.
Other “elemental” alternatives families often consider alongside space
Sometimes, a family starts with deep space because it feels poetic, then realizes what they really want is “elemental”—air, water, earth—something that matches a loved one’s relationship with the world. If that sounds familiar, it can help to remember: you are not choosing one symbolic language for a lifetime. You can choose one now, and another later. You can keep ashes at home for a year, then scatter. You can scatter most and keep a keepsake. You can send a portion to deep space and place the rest in a family plot.
For families drawn to water, water burial options can offer a similarly expansive feeling, with fewer moving parts than a space mission. Funeral.com’s guide Biodegradable Ocean & Water Burial Urns explains how sea scattering and water burial urns work in practical terms. For families balancing multiple preferences—one person wants the ocean, another wants a permanent urn at home—this is where keepsake urns can act like emotional “bridges,” allowing the memorial to include more than one meaningful place.
Choosing what feels true, and leaving room for change
Deep space burial can be breathtaking as an idea: a loved one traveling beyond the moon, carried forward in the black quiet, a permanent part of a solar story. But the most important part is not the distance. It’s the fit. The right memorial choice feels like it tells the truth about a person and supports the people who miss them.
If you’re considering a deep space memorial, let yourself build a plan that is both cosmic and grounded. Start with what your family needs now: a primary cremation urns for ashes choice, a safe plan for keeping ashes at home, a way to share remains gently through small cremation urns or keepsake urns, and perhaps one piece of cremation jewelry that carries comfort into ordinary days. Then, if space truly matches the person you’re honoring, choose a provider whose mission description, documentation, and risk disclosures feel clear—not vague.
Grief changes. Meaning deepens. And memorials can evolve with you. Whether your loved one rests in a home urn, in the ocean, in a cemetery, or on a deep space burial trajectory beyond the Earth–Moon system, the most lasting memorial is still the one you build in daily life: the stories told, the rituals kept, and the love that continues—here, and in whatever “infinite” feels like to you.
