Chinese company introduces space funeral service from US

(ECNS) -- People can now spend eternity in space, with the deceased's ashes placed into containers the size of a lipstick case and launched into the atmosphere by rocket, the Mirror reported on Tuesday.

A Beijing funeral company, authorized by US firm, offers the service developed by American company Celestis at a minimum cost of 5,600 yuan ($896).

Xu Yi, space funeral service founder, said the cost varied depending on the position in space. The cheapest service allows ashes rotating around the earth for 30 to 50 orbits before finally plunging back into the atmosphere.

Customers who wish to turn ashes into a never falling "star" needs to spend 75,000 yuan.

People could even track the exact position of the ashes using a mobile app, Xu added.

Many retirees from the aerospace industry have consulted this funeral service as they want their ashes placed in space after death, though no one has yet booked the service.

A customer manager at Celestis told the newspaper that space funerals are still an emerging service and that the market prospect is bright in China.