Oscar, a six-year-old French bulldog from Stockport, died suddenly from a brain tumour earlier this year. His ashes were launched 119,000ft into the air and scattered in space as a final tribute.
Final adventure
His owner, Jacob Battesny, 26, launched a weather balloon carrying Oscar's ashes, his favourite Toy Story alien plush, and a pet GPS tracker. The launch took place in Rugby, Warwickshire, with help from Jacob's friend Callum King.
At the edge of Earth's atmosphere, temperatures dropped to -72 degrees Celsius. The balloon burst, scattering Oscar's ashes, and the package descended by parachute, landing 55 miles away near Nottinghamshire.
Unexpected journey
The balloon stayed airborne much longer than the expected two hours. Jacob and Callum feared it was lost forever and went to a pub, but the GPS tracker suddenly pinged with a location. They recovered the package from a field later that evening.
Callum said: "Oscar couldn't see the world, so we decided to show the world Oscar. Jacob lost Oscar at the start of the year and it came completely out of the blue. He had a brain tumour and it happened so quickly."
He added: "When we started planning the launch, taking his ashes up there wasn't really a question. It was just how we were going to do it. It felt like one last adventure for him."
Real-world test
The flight also tested the GPS tracker developed by their company, Zoomi, which launched last month. The tracker successfully located the package after its journey.
Callum said: "We thought we'd lost it. We'd gone to the pub because there was nothing else we could do. Then suddenly the GPS tracker pinged with a location. We drove straight there and ended up walking through fields until we found the payload. It was an amazing feeling."
He also said: "I'd done a weather balloon launch years ago at school and we never recovered the payload. It always stayed with me because we'd got all this incredible footage but never knew where it had ended up. So being able to come back years later, build our own payload, send something to the edge of space and recover it ourselves was incredibly satisfying."
Lasting memory
Callum explained their motivation: "We never did this for money or publicity. We just wanted to give Oscar one last adventure and create a lasting memory."
Jacob, a content creator, said: "It's really special. They say after about six months, his ashes will eventually return to Earth as rain. I really like the idea that a little part of him is still up there."
He added: "People always look up at the sky when they're thinking about loved ones they've lost. And mine is actually up there. And when I go away with Toby, I like to think that Oscar can see us."
Jacob's other French bulldog, Toby, was recently diagnosed with cancer. Jacob said: "I've probably got a year with her so I'd definitely like to plan things. We're going away in September hopefully, and she loved the Dolomites. We'd love to take her paragliding, it's probably the closest she'll ever get to space, and to Oscar."
