A company is offering people the chance to scatter their loved ones' ashes from space

People are being offered the chance to scatter their loved ones' ashes from the edge of space.

Mesoloft, an aerospace engineering firm, has created a balloon which lifts a person's remains almost 20 miles above the Earth.

Once released the ashes will "soar and drift in the upper reaches of the Earth's atmosphere for weeks and months circulating the globe", the company says.

The ashes will then settle on "mountain tops, desert dunes, oceans, lakes, and rivers".

"Let their last journey be their greatest," the company say.

The unusual service - which costs up to $3,750 (£2,342) - takes around two hours to complete and starts at sites in Indiana, Colorado and New Mexico.

It aims to help people find a "uniquely memorable way to commemorate and celebrate a well-loved life", giving grieving relatives the "comfort of knowing your loved one is literally everywhere around you".

Mesoloft insists the practice is safe and has no significant effect on the environment as the ashes are sterile.