Renowned mountaineer Capt. Um Hong-gil, whose life was the subject of the film “The Himalayas," will become the first Korean to launch own DNA into space.

This was announced by Celestis Inc., the pioneer of Memorial Spaceflight Services for those seeking to celebrate a life or the life of a loved one with a uniquely compelling memorial experience.

"DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA," according to Medline Plus website.

In 2015, the film “The Himalayas” was released in Korea based on the life of Um Hong-gil who was portrayed by actor Hwang Jung-min.

According to Celestis, Um Hong-gil’s DNA will be launched into space on board the deep space voyager mission, known as the Enterprise Flight, scheduled for launch later this year out of Cape Canaveral in Florida.

The Enterprise Flight will travel between 150 million to 300 million km. into deep space beyond the earth-mMoon system on United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket, through a partnership between Celestis and ULA.

Um Hong-gil, referred to by his peers as “Tank Mountaineer” for his unwavering determination, has achieved many difficult feats in his career.

He is known for leading many expeditions and conquering the most famous mountains in the world. In 2000, he became the first South Korean to climb the 14 highest peaks in the world.

In 2007, he climbed an additional two of the highest peaks in the world, becoming the the first and only person to ever climb all 16. These include Mt. Everest, which he successfully climbed three times, K2 and Kangchenjunga.

Also known for his humanitarian efforts, in 2008, he set up the “The Um Hong-gil Human Foundation” with a goal to bring quality education to the children of Nepal to combat intergenerational poverty. A total of 16 schools were created to commemorate each of the 16 peaks he climbed.

"Whenever I have a hard time climbing a mountain, I look up at the twinkling in the night sky. Every time I saw the stars falling, I used to gain strength. Although the ascent of the 16 Himalayas has been accomplished, far beyond the Earth and the Moon, toward the universe, to the deep space that no one has been to before is possible,” said Um Hong-gil.

He added, “Although I can't board the Enterprise spacecraft directly, my DNA will. It means that we can take on a challenge towards a new universe.”

For his accomplishments, he has received many awards such as the Himalayan Crown and being inducted into the South Korean Sports Hall of Fame. He serves as an inspiration to many all over the world. His achievements are a prime example of the courage and hope that is harnessed when exploring the unknown, especially the final frontier.

Through Space Star Co., Ltd (located in Suwon City, Gyeonggi province in South Korea), a distributor of Celestis, Um Hong-Gil Um will become the very first Korean to send his DNA into space to set another record.

“Captain Eom Hong-gil Um is an elite explorer who represents the human spirit of adventure, the search for knowledge, and the quest for accomplishment,” said Celestis co-founder and CEO Charles Chafer.

He said, “It is, of course, entirely appropriate that he would choose to lead the new age of virtual space exploration by including his DNA on our Enterprise deep space mission.”

This mission will launch more than 150 flight capsules containing cremated remains (ashes), messages of greetings and DNA samples from clients worldwide on an endless journey in interplanetary space.

Vulcan will first put Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander on a trajectory for its rendezvous with the Moon. The Centaur upper stage will then continue on to deep space, entering a stable orbit around the sun, with Celestis’ Memorial Spaceflight Payload.