Asgardia is a rather unusual project, the goal of which is to create a separate nation in space. Last month, its authors announced their intention to eventually build a space station in low-earth orbit and on the moon.
Launch of the first satellite
This rather ambitious goal was announced at a press conference in Hong Kong. Asgardia also unveiled plans to launch its first satellite, Asgardia-1, this fall.
As already mentioned, Asgardia is the world's first space nation. In September, the launch of a small cubesat (ultra-small artificial Earth satellite) is planned on the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft from Wallops Island, Virginia. This cubesat is a flying 512GB hard drive that will be deployed from the International Space Station. He will collect data for five years.
Promotional video:
Information about the first Asgardians
People who would like to become part of the space nation, that is, the Asgardians, could register for this project online. Users who have already done so will be able to upload their data to the Cubsat. The creators of the project did this so that members of the first space nation could upload their photos and messages, but there is a possibility that this cubesat could become a kind of repository of illegal content. Nevertheless, the creators of "Asgardia" plan to check all data before sending it. Each person will be able to download 300 kilobits of data to the satellite.
Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli, who is leading the project, says Asgardia-1 will store data for 1.5 million Asgardians aboard the satellite free of charge. “We are at a historic moment as your names and data will forever remain in the memory of the new space nation as they will be reinstalled on every new Asgardia satellite we launch.”
Attitude to the project
When the first reports about the new project appeared, they were hardly taken seriously. It seemed to everyone that Asgardia was an attempt to create a new nation only in words. Many people signed up online and called themselves Asgardians just for fun. So when the company announced its plans to build a space station as well, it surprised many people.
Concept
A concept image published by the company shows a giant space station, with people walking and vehicles flying nearby. However, the authors of the project have not yet explained how they plan to achieve this goal. Perhaps they hope to use centrifugal force to create artificial gravity? So far we cannot answer this question.
Another conceptual image published by the authors of the project seems more realistic. It shows the modular and large ring space stations.
Needless to say, these images are just a concept. It is unlikely that a company that wants to be taken seriously will be able to achieve this by publishing illustrations of bizarre structures that cannot be built anytime soon.
Parliament of a new nation
However, the news of the construction of a space station was not the only strange announcement at a press conference in Hong Kong. It turns out that in six months Asgardia plans to form its own parliament. Also, the authors of the project presented a "national calendar" with three holidays. These are the Day of National Unity (June 18), the birthday of Asgardia (October 12) and the Day of the Year (December 31).
But that's not all. You can also apply to become a "Member of Parliament" for Asgardia. However, for this you need to collect 10 thousand people. And starting June 18, the space nation will also receive its own constitution, flag and national anthem, for which you can vote.
To do this, you need to be a registered citizen of Asgardia (which can be done on the official website). The authors of the project claim that their nation already has over 190,000 registered citizens from 200 countries, making Asgardia the 185th most populous country in the world.
Immediate goals
The project manager says their first satellite will be a stepping stone to a wider network. They will be used to search for asteroids, observe solar flares and track space debris. This is perhaps a more realistic goal than creating a giant station in orbit where hundreds of thousands of people could live.
Anna Pismenna
