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- Jacob Battersby, 26, from Stockport, sent the ashes of his six-year-old French bulldog Oscar, who died of a brain tumour, to the edge of the atmosphere using a helium weather balloon launched from Rugby on May 7, 2026.
- The balloon, which also carried a Toy Story plush toy and a pet GPS tracker, burst at around 119,000 feet, scattering the ashes, and the payload landed about 55 miles away in Nottinghamshire after a tense search.
- The flight doubled as a successful real-world test of a pet GPS tracker made by Zoomi, the pet-tech company Battersby runs with friend Callum King.
- Battersby says he takes comfort in the idea that Oscar's ashes will eventually return to Earth as rain, and he hopes to take his other dog Toby, recently diagnosed with cancer, on adventures including a possible paragliding trip.
What to watch next
- Jacob's planned September trip with Toby, including a possible paragliding outing in the Dolomites
- Zoomi's pet GPS and health tracker products following the successful launch-and-recovery test
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Named United Kingdom · Cockroach Janata Party · Dharmendra Pradhan · Nottinghamshire · Oscar · Rugby · Sonam Wangchuk · Stockport · Toby · Warwickshire · Callum King · Jacob Battersby · New York Post
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