Spring father of two dead from fentanyl overdose will have ashes sent to space

HOUSTON - In 2022, David and Melanie Jinkins, like any parents, weren't ready to say goodbye to their son. 

"Kindyn came into this world a little early, he was two-months premature, and unfortunately he left early too, at 27," said Melanie. 

His parents say he died after taking a pill he didn't know was laced.

"He passed away from an accidental drug overdose, fentanyl," said David Jinkins.

His parents say Kindyn had a passion for space and a dream to make it accessible to the average person. "He was in school to work for SpaceX," said Melanie Jinkins. "He wanted it to be affordable for everybody, he wanted to further our technology."

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They decided to honor his dream by sending Kindyn's ashes on a Celestis Memorial SpaceFlight. 

Melanie says she'd rather her son be in a seat on a rocket, but this is a true tribute to what he believed in. 

Kindyn will be on the Serenity flight. It will be the 24th memorial flight the Houston-based company is launching. They've also launched two flights to the moon and one to deep space. 

"The flight is going to launch in mid-2025 on a Falcon 9 rocket," said Colby Youngblood, President of Celestis Memorial SpaceFlights.

The capsule with Kindyn's ashes will be attached to a satellite which will orbit the Earth for three to five years. The satellite will then be decommissioned.

"As it enters Earth's atmosphere, and it burns up - becoming a shooting star," said Youngblood. 

He says their services fall in the price range of the average American funeral.

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"We love our job, we love what we do, and it brings a lot of joy to us to see the closure we can bring to these families," he said. 

Kindyn's parents say this is something they know their son would want, something that captures what his life work was aiming for. 

"I can't tell you how grateful I am for that. I can't," said Melanie Jinkins.

Youngblood says they are still accepting reservations for the Serenity flight. You can find out more about their organization here.