The proposal for a nation orbiting in space, called Asgardia, was launched in Paris this week.
The Asgardia project is led by Igor Ashurbeyli of the Aerospace International Research Center in Vienna. According to Ashurbeyli, Asgardia is supposed to be a replica of life on Earth sans the boundaries of state, religion, etc. and its creation is solely for peaceful purposes.
The moniker of this space nation has been derived from Nordic mythology and the purpose of having a space nation is to prevent human warfare from extending into space as well as protecting Earth from possible calamities from space such as asteroids, space debris, and a lot more.
This project would also provide a chance to access space, for developing countries that are yet to make a stint in that domain. Asgardia would be a democracy that recognizes the freedom of its citizens to create space technologies and means to exploit space resources for the welfare of humankind without being sidelined by other priorities such as building hospitals, roads, and others.
The citizenship for this nation is open to any person from any country on Earth, reports Independent. All one has to do is register through their site. It appears that there would be a selection wherein applicants who are involved in the development or investment in space technology would be given preference. Also, one must be holding a citizenship of a country that allows dual citizenship.
However, Asgardia is yet to be recognized as a country by the United Nations. Ashurbeyli has said that a formal application to the UN would be made after tens of thousands of people apply to be Asgardians.
The first satellite launch for the Asgardia project would take place in late 2017. However, the details of the satellite and its purpose are yet been released. The project plans to create a defense mechanism from asteroids by launching space-crafts that would fire lasers strategically on the surface so that the resulting vaporization would act as jets that propel the asteroid in a different direction.
Also, the project aims to protect power grids and satellite systems on Earth from solar flares by deploying an artificial Van Allen belt between the Earth and the Moon to deflect the charged particles magnetically.
