Russia is set to blast frozen dead people into space after having them cryogenically preserved.

Firm KrioRus said frozen bodies, DNA samples and even the bodies of pets could be blasted into the atmosphere.

The multi-million pound firm already has 54 people and 21 animals from all across the world within their labs - and a further 200 signed-up for the service.

The aim is to preserve dead bodies immediately after someone passes, before launching them into the atmosphere - where it would then cost upwards of £240,000 to keep them there.

(Image: CEN/kriorus)

(Image: http://kriorus.ru/)

Those who have paid hundreds of thousands of pounds for the service wear a device on their wrist throughout their life which then alerts KrioRus once they've died.

KrioRus announced its 'space plans' this month, explaining that they have made an agreement with Space Technologies, a new science and tech consortium.

Experts said space offers them a "land of opportunity."

Since 2005, the KrioRus company says it has frozen the bodies and brains of 54 people, eight dogs, nine cats, three birds, and incredibly, even one pet chinchilla.

Now the plans are to launch these corpses into space.

(Image: CEN/kriorus)

(Image: CEN/kriorus)

The team they have joined with, Space Technologies, is a new one, being registered only last year.

Under the futuristic plans these frozen bodies will not "just be hanging around in orbit" but kept in secure pods, but detailed plans are going no further than that at present.

Yulia Arkhipova, general director of Space Technologies excitedly said this week: "Satellites with cryo-capsules will be launched into orbit by Russian rockets."

Cryogenics is the art of freezing bodies by preserving a dead body with liquid nitrogen.

(Image: CEN/kriorus)

(Image: CEN/kriorus)

Currently, it can only legally happen when someone has just been declared dead.

The freezing process must begin as soon as the patient dies in order to prevent brain damage, experts say, with facilities for the act currently only available in Russia and the US worldwide.

In the procedure, the body is cooled in an ice bath to gradually reduce its temperature bit by bit before experts drain the blood and replace it with an anti freeze fluid to stop harmful ice crystals forming in the body.

Yulia continued: "The leading Russian space companies are developing these satellites, the technologies are unique and it's classified information," refusing to be drawn on what "leading space companies" these were.