How To Become A Citizen Of ASGARDIA, The "First Nation State in Space"?

Our planet earth seems to be more crowded as a group of scientists, engineers, businessmen, and lawyers unveiled their plans on Wednesday at a press conference in Paris to create the "first nation state in space" to be called "Asgardia". Their goal is to become the guardians of Earth that will foster peace, open up access to space technologies and offer protection for citizens of planet Earth.

Asgardia was named in honor of Norse, an ancient mythological city in the skies ruled by Odin from Valhalla. Asgardia satellite is planned to be launched in autumn 2017, it will comprise the nation itself, creating its own legal framework, flag, national anthem and other symbols of nationhood.

This project was lead by Igor Ashurbeyli, a Russian nanoscientist and businessman who believes the celestial state will one day join the United Nations. He is also the founder of the Aerospace International Research Center in Vienna and is currently the chairman of UNESCO's Science of Space committee.

The project's website states Asgardia will offer an independent platform free from the constraint of a land-based country's laws. It will become a place it in orbit which is truly 'no man's land". 

Asgardia is the prototype of a free and unrestricted society, which holds knowledge, intelligence and science at its core along with the recognition of the ultimate value of each human life.

Initially, the nation space will consist of at least one satellite launched into orbit as early as next year, with its citizens residing firmly on terra firma.

How to join and become a citizen?

People who are interested to join Asgardia, can register as easy as signing up online and, theoretically, you can become a citizen of Asgardia.

Currently the project hopes to reach 100,000 citizen to be apply the Asgardia to the United Nation for official nation status.

However, even registered as citizen of Asgardian, a citizen won't actually reside on the satellite.

"Physically the citizens of that nation state will be on Earth; they will be living in different countries on Earth, so they will be a citizen of their own country and at the same time they will be citizens of Asgardia," Mr Ashurbeyli said.

So far the technical details are scarce but a spokesperson for the consortium said the Asgardia group will continue to reveal information and believes it will be able to launch its first satellite into space within 18 months.

Hoping Possibilities Beyond Earth

The project proposal and vision for Asgardia is lofty. The team says that one of their early plans is to create "a state-of-the-art protective shield for all humankind from cosmic, manmade and natural threats to life on earth." Such threats, they say, include the dangers posed by space junk, and even asteroids. But, at present, details remain hazy about what form such a shield could take.

And while the project does not currently include plans to set up an Asgardian settlement in space, Ashurbeyli believes life beyond Earth will be vital to the future of humankind. "We are laying the foundations to make that possible in the distant future," he said.