Asgardia - the project to build the first nation in the universe

From the original Asgardia-1 satellite, scientists hope to build a nation floating in Earth's orbit.

Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli proposes the creation of the space nation of Asgardia. Photo: James Vaughan.

International scientists on November 12 began to realize the dream of "space nation Asgardia" when they successfully launched the satellite Asgardia-1 into orbit, according to CNN.

Asgardia-1 made a two-day flight from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, USA, to the International Space Station (ISS). The microsatellite carried 0.5 TB of data on 18,000 Asgardian citizens, including family photos and information about the new nation's flag, coat of arms and constitution.

Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli, a Russian scientist, proposed the creation of Asgardia, the first independent space nation, in October 2016. The nation is named after a celestial land in Norse mythology. Citizens can apply to join Asgardia for free.

The project's mission is to bring about a peaceful society, make space technology more accessible to people, and protect Earth from space threats such as asteroids and man-made space debris, Ashurbeyli said.

Asgardia-1 was launched to the ISS aboard NASA's commercial cargo vehicle, the OA-8 Antares-Cygnus. The satellite will have to wait about three weeks for the transfer of essential equipment and scientific instruments from the NASA ship to the six astronauts on the ISS to be completed.

Afterward,Asgardia-1will separate and begin its journey in Earth's orbit.It will bring tCitizens' information in space is expected to last about 5-18 months, the typical lifespan for this type of satellite.

When the Asgardia project was first announced, more than 100,000 people signed up within 40 hours. Three weeks later, that number had risen to 500,000. Anyone over the age of 18, with access to email, regardless of gender, nationality, race, religion, or financial status, was eligible to apply, even those with a criminal record.

Asgardia currently has about 114,000 registered citizens from 204 countries around the world, who have agreed to abide by the constitution put to a referendum in June. Türkiye is the country with the largest Asgardian population, with more than 16,500.

"I really want to see if people can express their thoughts more freely. I hope we can live in other ways, a better life and more choices," said Rayven Sin, a Hong Kong-based artist who participated in the project. Marketing expert John Spiro said he was interested in the idea of ​​​​putting personal information into space.

The Asgardia project team wants to build structures for humans to live in low Earth orbit, initially at altitudes of 161-321 km, where the ISS is operating. The first human flight to this "flying country" is expected to take place in 8 years.

People can apply to become citizens of Asgardia for free. Photo: James Vaughan.

"Our real home is not the house or the city where we were born. Home is Earth, and we want to protect it. It's not a fantasy. Going to Mars, galaxies, or something like that is just fiction. I intend to do something more realistic," Ashurbeyli said.

The project team is preparing for the next satellite launches but has not announced a specific time.Ashurbeyli said he is currently the sole sponsor funding the project, but did not disclose the specific amount.

Said to be a wealthy billionaire, AshurbeyliHe graduated from the Azerbaijan Petroleum Academy in 1985 and founded the software company Socium three years later.He moved to Moscow in the 1990s. In 2010, he was awarded the Russian Prize of Science and Technology.

In 2013, he founded the International Aerospace Research Center (AIRC) in Vienna, Austria and is currently the chairman of the UNESCO Space Science Committee. However, since 2011, he announced his resignation from all government organizations and is now politically neutral.

Asgardia is a project Ashurbeyli has dreamed of since he was a child, he said at a press conference in Hong Kong in June. "I really want to do something unusual that no one has done. My dream is to create an independent country," Ashurbeyli told CNN.

Currently, outer space regulations are governed by the Outer Space Treaty, signed by 103 countries, including the United States and Russia. However, Asgardia advocates creating a new legal foundation for outer space.

Future Asgardia citizens will live in structures in outer space. Photo: James Vaughan.

One of Asgardia’s most ambitious plans is to become a member of the United Nations. To achieve this, the UN Security Council must first approve Asgardia’s application for statehood. Then, two-thirds of the General Assembly must support Asgardia’s entry into the UN.

“A state must have the following characteristics: a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, the ability to enter into relations with other states, and be recognized as a state by other states,” said Joanne Gabrynowicz, a space law expert from the law school of the Beijing Institute of Technology.

Ashurbeyli plans to establish a democratic government with a prosecutor's office, a national audit office, and other government agencies in Asgardia. Ministries will be run by representatives from each region, with the administrative center in Vienna. Government agencies will be established after parliamentary elections.

Asgardians will benefit from having “dual citizenship,” Ashurbeyli said when asked how he would “bring peace” to citizens without a physical territory. “If I have trouble on Earth, I will have the Asgardia embassy to help me. It’s like when you’re a tourist, you can go to the embassy and they will try to help,” he explained.

However, Ashurbeyli is well aware that he will face many difficulties in creating a new country. "We are like a normal country. All countries have problems to deal with and soon, we will too. But we have more problems because we are not on Earth," he shared.

According to VNE