Starting next month, families will be able to send their loved ones’ remains into ‘space’ using helium-filled latex balloons for as little as £800.
The balloon space ‘funerals’ are being launched by new company Ascension Flights, and see the helium balloon carrying the ashes 21 miles into the stratosphere. At this point, the balloon bursts and is brought back down to Earth on a purpose-built parachute. The journey is filmed in high definition as a keepsake for the relatives they have left behind.
Sheffield graduates Dr Chris Rose and Dr Alex Baker presented the concept on BBC television show Dragons’ Den last month and say that only minute, indiscernible remnants of the ashes will fall back down to Earth. They will also work closely with the Civil Aviation Authority so the balloons do not invade the airspace used by commercial planes.
Dr Rose said: “Fundamentally, we are all stardust, so this feels like a fitting tribute to those of us who have lived through the prologue to the space age.”
