On Wednesday, October 11, the Earth’s first space kingdom held its first press conference, and this month, Asgardia launched its first bit of astra firma, the Asgardia-1, into orbit. It’s a “nanosat,” no heavier than an Earth baby, and about the size of a loaf of bread.
It’s just a start.Anyone who’s watched a Marvel movie or read their Norse mythology knows what the name “Asgardia” signifies: a city in the sky. The people behind the non-profit project have an ambitious vision: They plan to construct their own space station nation “where people can live, work, and have their own rules and regulations,” as one of its founders told Business Insider. Also, protect Earth from danger. While not initially that different on a technological level than the ISS, this orbiting platform hopes to be its own recognized sovereign state. Regarding the ISS, McGill University’s Ram Jakhu says, “It’s just one facility, parts of which are controlled by different nations. It’s more or less a condo.”
Definitely not a condo, an artist’s conception of Asgardia’s planetary shield (ASGARDIA/JAMES VAUGHAN)
Actually, it’s not entirely clear who’s behind Asgardia, though Jakhu seems to be one of its founders. They’re releasing information bit by bit, including their 13-month Asgardian calendar of upcoming events. It is known that some of the funding for the kingdom comes from Russian billionaire and space Igor Ashurbeyli. Others apparently involved beyond Jakhu, according to Business Insider, are Rice University’s David Alexander, Washington University’s Joseph N. Pelton, and Romanian cosmonaut Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu. There may also be Jeffrey Manber of NanoRacks, who spoke at that first press conference.
According to Ashurbeyli, Asgardia has three goals:
- To ensure the peaceful use of space.
- To protect planet Earth from space threats….
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