It costs $249 to send ashes to Earth orbit with Space Beyond. Across the industry, published prices for a space memorial run from $249 to about $25,000. Most Earth orbit options fall between $249 and $4,995.
Every price below comes from each company’s own website, checked November 2026.
I’m Ryan Mitchell, founder of Space Beyond. Before this, I spent over two decades in aerospace, on the Space Shuttle program and at Blue Origin. So yes, I run one of the companies on this list. I’m going to show you the published prices from the major providers, including ours. You deserve a straight comparison.
Space burial cost by type of memorial
Space memorials come in five rough types. The farther the ashes go, the more it costs. Most services fly a small, symbolic portion of the ashes, and the rest stays with the family. High-altitude scattering is the exception: it carries all of the ashes.
| Type | What happens | Starting prices (Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| High-altitude | Full ashes scattered high above Earth, or a portion returned | Aura Flights (UK): £3,950 scattering Aura Flights (UK): £495 portion returned |
| Suborbital | Reaches space for minutes, capsule returned to family | Beyond Burials: $1,500 Celestis: from $3,495 |
| Earth orbit | Circles Earth for years, then burns up on reentry | Space Beyond: $249 Beyond Burials: $3,000 Celestis: from $4,995 |
| Moon | Lands on the Moon or enters lunar orbit | Beyond Burials: $7,500 Celestis: from $12,995 |
| Deep space | Leaves the Earth-Moon system forever | Beyond Burials: $7,500 Celestis: from $12,995 (Voyager) Celestis: from $24,995 (Mars300) |
A few notes on the table. These are starting prices, and some companies offer upgrades that raise the total. Aura Flights is based in the UK and prices in pounds. Elysium Space offers Earth orbit, Moon and deep space memorials, and its website doesn’t list prices.
Why space memorial prices vary so much
Five things drive most of the difference.
Where the ashes go. Earth orbit is the shortest trip that stays up. The Moon and deep space are much higher-energy launches. It takes far more rocket to deliver each gram that far, so the launch cost climbs fast.
Whether anything comes back. A suborbital flight goes up and comes down. Someone has to recover the capsule and send it home to the family. That takes people and time.
A shared ride or a private seat. Some companies fly each person in their own capsule. We fly every family’s portion together, integrated and sealed inside one small spacecraft called Remembrance. It rides to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission, alongside dozens of other satellites. Think UberX Share instead of a private car. Sharing the ride is the biggest reason we can charge $249.
What’s bundled in. Launch-day events, a professional video, a returned keepsake, a name engraving. Some providers include these. Some charge extra. Always ask.
How much ash flies. We fly about one gram. That’s roughly the weight of a paperclip. Some services fly the full ashes. Ask every provider how much they fly.
What $249 covers with Space Beyond
Karin, one of our clients, put it this way:
“I have searched for years to find a way to do this. Everything else I had found was super expensive.”
Price was the wall. For a lot of families, it still is.
Every order includes the full Ashtronaut™ Program:
- A collection kit shipped to you (or to your funeral home), with everything you need to prepare about one gram
- Shipping both ways for US orders, including a prepaid return label
- Your loved one’s portion integrated and sealed inside the Remembrance spacecraft
- Launch to orbit on our first mission: a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission, Transporter-22, scheduled for October 2027, with launch integration by Arrow Science & Technology
- Their name in the flight records and a digital certificate of inclusion
- An invitation to create an Ashtronaut Tribute page on our website
- Mission updates and orbit tracking for the roughly five years the spacecraft stays up
- Mission insurance: if the launch doesn’t reach orbit, we send a new collection kit and fly another portion on the next available mission at no charge
- A full refund any time before you send in the ashes. No fee, no time limit, no questions asked.
The one add-on is a name engraving on the outside of the spacecraft, for $50. So the total is $249, or $299 with engraving. Shipping is included both ways for US orders.
How we got to $249
I set our price from the bottom up. I started with every direct cost: the launch, the spacecraft, the kits, shipping both ways, payment processing. Then I added the indirect costs, like web hosting, facilities, tooling and equipment, and marketing. Then the overhead every company carries, like corporate registration and fees.
Add it all up, and you get the lowest price that keeps the company self-sustaining and supports our lean team. That number was $249.
The easy route would have been to look at industry prices and knock off 10%. That would have kept a space memorial out of reach for a lot of families. Space Beyond exists to make this possible for as many people as we can, so more families can feel the release and peace a space memorial can bring.
A few choices keep the costs that low. We fly on rockets that are already launching. We keep each portion small. We combine every family’s portion in one container. We built a simple spacecraft. And nobody on our payroll carries a vice president title.
One honest note. We haven’t flown yet. Our first mission is scheduled for October 2027. SpaceX sets the launch date, and delays can happen outside our control. That’s one reason the refund stays open right up until you send in the ashes.
The same $249 price covers our other memorials too:
- Ashes to Space for Pets: $249. Same mission, in a section built for pets.
- Reserve Your Legacy: $249. Reserve a place for yourself now. Your family contacts us when the time comes.
- Hero Tribute: $249. Sponsor the memorial of a U.S. veteran whose family wouldn’t otherwise have this option. The family pays nothing.
- Remembrance Roster: a name engraved on the spacecraft, no ashes needed. $149, $279 or $499 depending on the inscription.
Costs people don’t think about
Shipping. For US orders, it’s included both ways. The kit arrives with a prepaid return label. Outside the US, we review orders case by case, and return shipping is the client’s cost.
Filling the vial. You can do it yourself with the kit’s instructions. Your funeral home can also fill it for you. Many do this at no extra charge, but ask yours.
Going to the launch. SpaceX launches its rideshare missions from Vandenberg in California or Cape Canaveral in Florida, and SpaceX picks the site. If you want to watch in person, travel and lodging are on you. Watching online costs nothing. We’ll share how to watch both ways as the date gets close.
The end of the mission. This one costs nothing, but it’s worth knowing. After about five years, the spacecraft reenters the atmosphere and burns up like a shooting star. Nobody can predict exactly when or where, so it’s unlikely any of our client families will be watching at that moment. It happens all the same, one last journey across the sky.
How to compare space memorial companies fairly
Ask every company these questions. Including us.
- What’s the total price, all in? Ours: $249, plus $50 if you want the name engraved.
- How much of the ashes fly, and do they fly alone or combined? Ours: about one gram, combined with other families’ portions in one container.
- When is the launch, and on what rocket? Ours: SpaceX Falcon 9, Transporter-22, scheduled for October 2027.
- What happens if the launch fails? Ours: we fly another portion on the next available mission at no charge. Get the answer in writing from anyone you’re considering.
- When can I get my money back? Ours: any time before you send in the ashes. Some companies take a deposit up front. Ask what’s refundable, and until when.
- Have you flown before? Some companies have flown many missions. Our first launch is October 2027. Weigh that however feels right to you.
Who Space Beyond is for
Other space memorial companies serve the space community well, and I’m grateful they’re there. Some host interesting gatherings, ceremonies and events. I applaud their work.
Space Beyond exists for everyone else. For the people who wanted to go to space and never believed they would. For the families who couldn’t afford it. For the millions who never knew it was an option at all.
We’re here for the dreamers, explorers, veterans, aviators, stargazers and curious souls who never stopped wondering what lay beyond the horizon.
Talking with families, I’ve noticed the real decision usually comes before any price comparison. Do something, or leave the ashes on the shelf or in the back of the closet?
About one in four US homes keeps cremated ashes, according to a Harris Poll for the Cremation Association of North America. Keeping them close is a choice, and it costs nothing. There’s no wrong answer here. But if you’ve been wondering whether something more was possible, now you know what it costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send pet ashes to space?
With Space Beyond, $249. Pets fly on the same Earth orbit mission as people, in a section built for them. Pets and people can travel together in that section.
Can our family split the ashes?
Yes. Only about one gram flies. The rest stays with you. Many families split ashes between more than one memorial: a portion to space, a portion scattered, a portion kept at home. Nobody has to agree on a single option.
What happens if the launch fails?
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has a strong reliability record, but launches can fail. If ours doesn’t reach orbit, we send a new collection kit and fly another portion on the next available mission at no charge. That’s another reason only a small portion flies.
Can I pay for a veteran’s space memorial?
Yes. A Hero Tribute costs $249 and sponsors the memorial of a U.S. veteran whose family wouldn’t otherwise have this option. The family pays nothing, and the veteran’s name is engraved on the spacecraft. If the veteran is someone in your own family, the standard $249 Ashes to Space memorial is the one to choose.
Is there a cheaper way to take part without sending ashes?
Yes. The Remembrance Roster engraves a name on the outside of the spacecraft, no ashes required, starting at $149. It’s a good fit when a loved one was buried, or when your faith guides how ashes are handled.
Is sending ashes to space worth the money?
That depends on the person you’re remembering and what you want to feel when you think of them. For families of people who loved space, flying, or simply looking up, it often feels right. For others, scattering or keeping the ashes at home fits better. A space memorial doesn’t have to replace anything. Most of the ashes stay with you either way.
Where to go from here
The reason I’m telling you all this: I started Space Beyond so price wouldn’t be the reason a family says no.
If $249 sounds right, you can reserve a place here. There’s no deadline, and you get a full refund any time before you send in the ashes.
Still deciding? Our free guide, What To Do With Cremated Ashes, walks through every option, from keeping ashes at home to scattering to memorial diamonds. Read it, sit with it, and come back when it feels right.
— Ryan
P.S. If there’s a cost question I didn’t answer here, ask it in the comments. I’ll answer it.