Florida family plans to send 11-year-old son Matthew Gallagher’s ashes to moon

A Florida family is hoping to fulfill their late son’s dream of going to space by sending his ashes to the moon.

Cori and Scott Gallagher are raising money to send the ashes of their 11-year-old son Matthew Gallagher, who died unexpectedly in May, to be buried on the lunar surface.

The heartbroken parents said that from just 5 years old, Matthew knew he wanted to be an astronaut when he grew up.

Tragically, the youngster lost the chance to pursue the goal when he died on May 18. His mother found him unresponsive in the middle of the night, according to Tampa Bay 10.

After his death, Cori and Scott Gallagher learned about Celestis Memorial Spaceflights, a company that launches loved ones’ cremated remains into space, and immediately wanted to honor their son’s member through the service.

“I just know that he would have a grin from ear to ear, and it would never go away because he would get to do something that he always wanted to do,” Cori Gallagher told Fox 13.

She said her son’s bedroom was decorated in a space theme and that he would often educate his own teachers on the subject.

“He could tell you everything about the moon’s different phases and point out the different planets in the night sky, and many constellations,” the Gallaghers wrote on a GoFundMe page they set up to raise money for the space trip.

They are planning to have his cremated remains be a part of the Destiny Flight set to launch sometime in 2023.

His ashes will be buried on the moon’s surface so that his loved ones can remember him every time they look up into the night sky and spot the moon.

“We’d always say, ‘I love you to the moon and back.’,” Cori Gallagher told Fox.

The family has raised more than $11,000 of their $14,000 goal.