A 92-YEAR-OLD great-grandmother’s ashes have been blasted into the stratosphere.

The ashes of Margaret Riant, who lived in Rottingdean, were fired more than 300 feet into the sky from Devil’s Dyke, near Brighton.

Friends and family gathered for the launch last Monday evening. Long-time friend John Morris, from Woodingdean, said: “They went a hell of a long way into the air. It was like a mini New Year’s Eve.”

He said his friend had planned the send-off for a long time.

“It was what she wanted. Margaret had a kindly, feisty, no-nonsense personality.

“To that end she wanted no fuss and requested a private, family-only cremation and for her ashes to be fired into the sky in a rocket.”

The Argus: Margaret RiantMargaret Riant

He added: “A good number of people, family and friends, turned out at 8.15pm to witness this unusual farewell and all expectations were exceeded. In the pitch dark the rocket was launched and was followed by a beautiful ten minute pyrotechnic display.”

The lift-off took a considerable amount of organisation. John said: “You can’t do it in your back garden. Obviously, for health and safety reasons, it has to be performed professionally by a company which specialises in that kind of departure.

“After the ceremony we went down to the boozer and spent an hour, drinks in hand, reminiscing about our friend and wishing her bon voyage.”

Margaret’s daughter Gail Jay, from Peacehaven, said: “She always said she hoped to go out with a bang. It was so meaningful. Some of the older people from my mother’s generation were dubious to start with, but everybody went away feeling the same. It was fantastic.”

Legendary American journalist Hunter S Thompson had his ashes fired into the atmosphere by cannon after his Hollywood friend Johnny Depp spent three million dollars on the funeral.

Footage from before the 2005 launch shows Thompson sketching out his plans in front of a baffled funeral director.

But there is now a sizeable "space burial" industry, and companies offer to shoot a loved one's ashes to the moon, into orbit, or out to deep space.