Humanity has been yearning to reach the stars since the beginning of times. Who hasn’t looked at the night sky once and wondered what it would be like? Well, this dream might come true sooner than you think, and not how you might expect it.
Welcome to the Space Kingdom of Asgardia, the first space nation.
Russian scientist, a philanthropist and billionaire Igor Ashurbeyli is the founder and Head of Nation. He started this crazy project more than a few decades ago and his community is growing day by day. The idea? Building a space ark orbiting the Earth. Starting in 2016, they have launched a satellite to mark their presence, adopted a constitution (2017), and created their own national anthem, which they played in a baroque event to commemorate the birth of their nation. They have been accepting residency applications for a meager sum of 100 euros a year and electing parliament ever since. They mean business, literally.
Will Asgardia be a utopia or a dystopia?
One Humanity, One Unity.
Asgardia’s motto
New ideas need new concepts
Asgardians have an ambitious plan which requires rethinking many systems we use on Earth. Here are some novelties they have already come up with and which brings them one step closer to making their space ark a reality.
Zodiac Calendar
The Gregorian calendar becomes obsolete the minute you leave the comfort of the atmosphere. For this reason, the Asgardian calendar was created to better serve the nation that will be orbiting the Earth similar to the ISIS (International Space Station). It has 13 months named after the constellations of the zodiac, including the less-known Ophiuchus. A day like August 24th 2020 would be Libra 13th 2020. Every month has 28 days, which makes it an enhanced form of today’s calendar. No more learning which months have 30 or 31 days. Is this enough to convince you to move up there?
Two Currencies
The space nation has extensive projects, and finances are a huge part of it, so much that they coined the term financial ark to talk about their future home. They encourage foreign investments and local businesses, which is why they created two currencies.
The Solar will be a currency only used to trade with Earth. The Lunar, however, will be exclusive for the residents of Asgardia. They haven’t decided yet which Earth currency they will use as a reference to set the initial value, but they already have selected some of the most powerful currencies like the American dollar among others as potential candidates.
Languages
So far, they have delivered communications in 12 languages including English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and more. It seems like they are striving to approximate what the EU has done. If you want to learn more about Asgardia and brush up on your language skills, you can check out their YouTube channel.
Community and science
A new nation needs solid values to build upon to create a sentiment of unity and belonging. Asgardia is self-proclaimed as a community and science-centered democratic society. They have put in place a parliament and the key positions among the government have been undergoing nominations already. Anyone interested in participating in the political life of Asgardia can do so as we speak. If you fancy a career change, now’s the time!
Despite being very forward-thinking people, Asgardia has not yet been recognized as a sovereign nation by other earth nations, which is a crucial step in achieving sovereignty. A space nation challenges the law as we know it at an unprecedented level, which will force the global community to adapt to the new contemporary realities. Until then, Asgardia already has plans to have its permanent settlement on the moon by 2043 no matter what the rest of the world thinks.
Life on a Space Ark
The way Asgardians envision their society is fascinating. In a 2-minute intro video on their YouTube channel (I tried to embed it but the video mysteriously disappeared after I watched it?), they show images of what it will look like. If you’ve watched the movie Elysium, this gives you a rough idea of how ambitious the space ark will be.
Artificial gravity will be commonplace. Even if the technology is not available to us now, people can be seen walking as they would on the ground which hints at what Asgardians envision for their home. However, one of the image shows a ring similar to the one in Elysium which presupposes that there could be some centrifugal force at work that allows for this mind-boggling feat.
Vegetation will not be exclusive to Earth. Trees and gardens will also share space on the ark which will refresh the air and remind Asgardians of their earthly past. Bay windows will look out on the blue planet with the panorama of a lifetime.
The project is still in its early stages and I am eager to see what other ideas Asgardians will come up with to make their ark as homey as possible in space. One thing for sure is that many ideas come from science-fiction which is a precursor in solving issues future societies will face to adapt to a hostile environment such as outer space.
What does the future hold for a space nation?
Increasingly, science-fiction has shaped the way we conceive our future and how we want to live. It has slowly jumped out of the pages and the big screen to stretch the limits of our imagination. For the better or the worse?
Starting a new life in a space nation today might be what settling in the New World was for people in the 16th-17th centuries. History repeats itself to a certain extent, but it does not prevent new generations to dream and have their own idea of a utopic society where the impossible becomes possible.
Hope is a powerful driving force.
Asgardia might be the space ark of the future people have been longing for. Whether or not it sees the light of day, the dream will keep on living and inspire other generations.
If people living in an ark cut off from civilization is an idea that interests you, my debut novel Amarante features an underwater ark that has been sailing a flooded Earth for over a century. More about this here (only available in French for now, but the translation will come around the end of 2021. You can subscribe to the newsletter in the meantime to make sure you don’t miss out on anything).
I stumbled upon this quote while researching about Asgardia, which outlines a challenge that the first space nation will have to face sooner or later:
They’re lovely words, but they hide an obvious truth. Whether anyone ever ends up living on Asgardia’s ambitious space ark is one thing—whether the reality matches the utopian ideal may be another.
Bill Hardy, BBC Future, August 2018
For those who were wondering, official passports will soon be delivered to Asgardians. Let me know if you consider becoming an Asgardian citizen and the reasons that motivate your decision.
May the stars guide you,
David M. Snow
References:
Article from Bill Hardy, BBC Future:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180803-asgardia-the-problems-in-building-a-space-society
Official website of Asgardia:
Asgardia’s official YouTube Channel
This is amazing! Yes, I’d like to be Asgardian. Can you imagine, being a citizen of the first space nation (from Earth…). Wow! But I don’t like having to pay fees every year. 😅😅😅
And you Dave? Would you like to have Asgardian passport?
I’m not sure I would like to. I mean, what power does it really hold? As long as Asgardia is not recognized as a nation by others, it seems to be irrelevant. I am not an early adopter but who knows? If I see something more concrete than parliament meetings, I might get tempted.