Beijing municipal authorities have refused the proposal by a local undertaker to send the ashes of two people into space.

Beijing Yanqing Great Wall Chinese Shrine funeral company applied to provide extraterrestrial services at a charge of 100,000 yuan per client.

The Funeral and Interment Management Division of Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau turned the company down, saying China had no law regulating space funeral services, so the government lacked a legal reference to approve the application.

An employee of the firm, which was established in 1993, said the company would insert some of the deceased's ashes into a lipstick-sized container and launch them to space by rocket. The company is negotiating the transport arrangements with a Houston-based aeronautics and space firm.

The general manager of the company, surnamed Lu, argued the rejection was unreasonable, according to the Beijing News.

Lu said since the country had no particular ban on space funeral service, the government had no reason to turn down his application.

He declined to say if the company would appeal the decision.

(Xinhua News Agency August 11, 2006)