'Space burial' of 63 Japanese to take place at end of July

NEW YORK-Celestis Inc., a U.S. provider of the so-called "space burial" service, has scheduled a post-cremation memorial spaceflight for the ashes of 208 people from around the world, including 63 from Japan, at the end of this month, company officials said Friday.The number of Japanese included in the service is the highest number ever in the United States, they said. Space burial is a memorial service that began in 1997 in the United States. In the service, a small sample of the cremated ashes of the deceased is placed in a capsule and launched into space using a rocket.The idea of being "buried" in space has attracted an increasing number of people. The number of Japanese who have asked for the service has grown to the second highest on its list following Americans, said a Celestis spokesperson.The rocket for the upcoming service will be launched at the U.S. military facility on the Marshall Islands. It carries a satellite that contains the capsules of the ashes-ranging 1 gram to 14 grams per person.The satellite will go around the earth for several years before burning out in the atmosphere. The service costs from around $2,500, or about 270,000 yen, to $7,500.For security reasons, the specific date of the launch is not announced, and bereaved family members of the deceased are not allowed to witness the launch.
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As in the days of Noah....