The day Eduardo, Federico Brito
's father
, told his son what
his last life wish
was , he was already aware of the rapid advance of cancer in his organs.
He knew he didn't have much time.
That's why he hurried: "When I die
I want you to send my remains to heaven to see my granddaughters from above
," he told her at the beginning of 2021, just a month before he died.
The request - which could sound like something rather symbolic -
was serious
.
And he knew he was entrusting it to
someone who could
deliver: a space hobbyist and
rocket parts maker
who, he had no doubt,
could literally send him to infinity and beyond
.
Months after his early departure and in the midst of the pain of loss, Federico Brito found in that desire of his father
a push to start something big
.
And it was then that he promised to work to turn this concept of
going to heaven
when one leaves life on earth into a real trip.
He succeeded: he is the first Latin American to send
both the ashes of people and pets into space
through
satellites
that are placed in orbit more than
500 kilometers away from Earth
.
Federico Brito, the Argentine founder of Last Trip who was the first in the region to send ashes of loved ones into space.
“The spirit of our service is to give the opportunity to
transcend the plane of the planet.
We send both ashes and
digital files
: one can send
photos and messages
and have them remain in space for years," says Brito in a dialogue
with Clarín.
For his science fiction-sounding epic
,
he founded the company "Last trip, your star in the sky" (which means "Last trip, your star in the sky").
The first takeoff was on January 3
on a flight called Liberty Flight.
From Cape Canaveral
, the main center of space activities, a rocket moved the satellite that carried, inside a special module, six
passengers.
They were all Argentines and natives of Buenos Aires who were immortalized beyond the atmosphere by the only company in the region to offer the service: among them
Eduardo Brito,
Federico's father, and
India, a Bearded Collie (or 'Bearded Collie' )
who is one of the few dogs that went into space.
Eduardo Brito, Federico's father, founder of Last Trip.
his ashes were the first to be sent into space.
He was a doctor at the Castex de San Martín Hospital.
“The ashes are placed in a module that has several individual cells.
Enter one gram per compartment.
This device is then attached to the satellite and is taken into space in
a Space X rocket
[Elon Musk's company] that leaves it in orbit.
The satellite has a propulsion system that makes it stay
in space for at least five years
”, he details.
As Brito explains, the design of the module in which the ashes travel varies depending on the number of passengers.
The one that was used in the first flight was a
cylindrical capsule of 150 grams
, which was 90 millimeters in diameter by 2 in height.
"The assembly of the module, the machining and
the tests are carried out in Buenos Aires
. It goes through destructive tests and we verify that it complies with the
regulations so as not to contaminate the space
. We do it here because I am a defender of Argentine technology", he is proud.
And back to the minute detail.
“Each cell in the module is
identified with the data of the person
or pet and also carries the digital files that the family chooses, which are loaded into
a memory
.
On takeoff day,
the link is shared with them
so they can
follow it live
and then they can see the location of their loved one through the NORAD app, which has its coordinates”, he specifies passionately.
The module in which the ashes and digital files with the remains of six deceased people traveled into space.
How much does it cost to take the ashes of a loved one into space?
Federico Brito insists that he is
reluctant to publish his rates
- he does not even have them on his company's website - because he does not like "the idea that the project
is seen as something commercial
".
“I prefer that it be something symbolic, this arose with the objective of giving
the service of transcending
.
Space times are different”, says the person who chooses to have a conversation with each client and treat the subject "delicately".
However, he agreed to share an
estimated price
range for the service with Clarín .
"Sending the ashes into space is around
$2,500 per gram
," he said.
The price varies depending on several factors.
One of them is
to which orbit
you want to send the remains.
It can be LEO or GEO.
The difference between these is
the distance
at which they are from Earth: the first, where the flight was, is located at a whopping
400 to 2,000 kilometers
;
while the second is
even further away, at 37,000 km.
“For the latter, the rates are around
$5,000.
We provide both services.
Generally, a satellite in LEO can spend 5 to 10 years in orbit and in
GEO between 50 and 100 years
”, explained the founder of Last Trip.
The amount can be paid by the relatives after the death of the loved one, but
you can also contract the service while you are alive
and pay it
in several installments
.
The moment of the ship's disengagement in LEO orbit with the passengers and digital files of Last Trip.
How to send the remains of a person into space
There are
three ways
to send the ashes of a person or pet into space.
The first option is to bring the entire
cremation urn
to the company in person and have them take the sample themselves to take to the space.
Then they can leave the rest stored in a special place that they offer or take it with them.
Another option is
to ask the funeral home
to take care of the shipment of the ashes, which can be done through the mail, and not be present at the time of its opening to take the sample.
In this case they can also request the return of the rest of the ballot box or request that it be stored there.
India, the Bearder Collie whose ashes traveled into space.
The last option is to ask the company
for the special KIT they offer for the family to take the sample
.
Then they send it to the right place and Last Trip continues the process.
How to send digital files and immortalize photos in space
Federico Brito highlights: "We also provide the service of transporting only digital files to space, such as photos, messages,
music, digital art, space advertising, NFT
, that anyone wants to store in space, and be able to see in real time from their PC or cell phone.
In this case
the price is lower.
Nicolás López, considered
the best
base jumper in Argentina, chose this option to send
a photo of himself when he jumped from the Obelisk
and became the first man to do so.
The photo of Nicolás López, the skydiver who jumped from the Obelisk, was the first to be sent into space.
Along with her, he sent an image of his family and one of his best friend, also a skydiver Jimmy Pouchert who died in an accident in 2022 and was organizing a large party in the United States to celebrate life.
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