SpaceX continues to embark on various programs, particularly in the scientific field. Recently, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 70 payloads for various customers took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on June 23 as part of the Transporter-14 mission. 

During this flight, The Exploration Company’s reentry capsule contained more than 150 capsules containing cremated remains and DNA samples from customers around the world.

As far as the mission was concerned, everything went perfectly during launch. And that’s not all, because it also managed to orbit the Earth a few times. 

Nevertheless, a problem arose during its re-entry into the atmosphere. This is one of the most dangerous moments in a space mission. At this stage, the capsule enters the atmosphere at very high speed, causing intense friction on contact with the air. 

This creates such intense heat that it can even cause major failures, such as a loss of contact with the probe in question. However, these devices are equipped with a heat shield, which absorbs the shock and gradually disintegrates, taking the heat with it. This helps to keep the temperature in the capsule from getting too high.

However, during this mission and atmospheric reentry, The Exploration Company stated that the capsule encountered a problem. Contact was lost shortly after communication with the capsule was reestablished. And that’s not all, as Celestis confirmed that the Nyx parachute failed to deploy, causing a high-speed free fall into the ocean: “Nyx encountered a problem shortly thereafter, based on our current knowledge, and we lost communication a few minutes before splashdown. We are still investigating the root causes and will provide more information shortly.” 

Following this setback, the company added:

While we currently believe that we cannot recover the flight capsules, we hope that families will find some peace knowing that their loved ones were part of a historic journey, were launched into space, orbited the Earth, and now rest in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, similar to a traditional and honored sea scattering. We apologize to all our customers who entrusted us with their payloads

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Alexis Stegmann – Tech Writer – 51 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2025

I’ve been working in the field of web writing for several years, and I’m passionate about keeping readers up to date with the latest news on astronomy, technology, the world of video games and other exciting subjects. In particular, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a number of websites, which has enabled me to cover a wide range of subjects. In my personal life, I’m passionate about a wide range of subjects, including astronomy, video games, history and science. I’m also drawn to psychology, which is a subject that deserves greater documentation and recognition.