Memorial spaceflights have grown from novelty to a modest and steady business, one that’s carried thousands of loved ones to orbit over the past three decades. Now, a startup founded by a former Blue Origin engineer aims to harness the space industry’s latest advances to take the market mainstream.

Ryan Mitchell, founder of Florida-based Space Beyond, is raising funds to fly a brick-sized cubesat that he said could carry at least 1,000 capsules to low Earth orbit (LEO) as early as next year.

Each capsule would carry a symbolic portion of human or pet remains to LEO for a minimum of $249, separated and sealed for up to 25 years before reentering Earth’s atmosphere.

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