Lil Bub's remains will soon be orbiting the Earth in a satellite ... at least, that's what the late celebrity cat's owner envisions for her final resting place.
Lil Bub's caretaker, Mike Bridavsky, tells TMZ ... he's planning to load the feline's cremated remains into a satellite and launch it into orbit so Bub can watch over the planet, and he's working with Purdue University to get his spacey idea off the ground.
As we reported ... Lil Bub died in her sleep earlier this week, leaving behind a lasting legacy which includes raising over $700,000 for animals and pets in need.
Bub's human says he wants to link her satellite to a website so people can track the cat's location over Earth, and he even hopes to install a live feed on the craft so people can see Bub watching over them. Yes, it's hard to let go.
The cat's caretaker also wants to keep Bub's fundraising efforts alive ... by allowing people to sign up to have a designated amount of money withdrawn from their bank accounts every time Lil Bub completes a rotation around the Earth, with the funds benefiting homeless pets and veterinary research.
Lil Bub's owner tells us he realizes this is a wild idea, but he says he's been talking with Purdue about partnering on the project. The university's Small Animal Hospital was Bub's clinic for emergency care, and Purdue has an aerospace program.
FYI, the aerospace program is already involved in commercial satellite programs and with the International Space Station ... so Bub would be piggybacking off of those.
Of course, blasting a cat's remains into orbit ain't gonna be cheap ... and Lil Bub's owner says he's trying to work something out with Purdue for funding, or he's just gonna start a GoFundMe.
As for saying goodbye to Lil Bub back on solid ground ... we're told there are no plans yet for a memorial.