A cluster of stars in the Milky Way galaxy (AFP)
A former NASA engineer is offering to send the cremated remains of your loved ones into space for $1,990, instead of giving them a traditional burial.
The company Elysium Space plans to launch human ashes into space after which they will orbit the Earth for several months before burning up in the atmosphere as a "shooting star."
The company has also developed a mobile app to track ashes in orbit, and hopes to launch its first memorial flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2014, 'SPACE.com' reported.
The price for sending the ashes into the space has been currently set at $1,990.
Elysium will also engrave a remembrance message of up to 80 characters on metal plates attached to the spacecraft.
"A memorial spaceflight is a unique experience for family and friends to make a memory and remember a loved one," said Elysium Space founder Thomas Civeit, a former NASA engineer.
The purchase of a memorial spaceflight comes with a kit containing an ash capsule, which can be engraved with up to three initials, the report said.
According to a product description, the kit also contains a mini-scoop for transferring "a symbolic portion" of ashes to the capsule.