The “Space Kingdom of Asgardia” inaugurated its first head of state, founding father Russian-Azerbaijani scientist Igor Ashurbeyli, on Monday in a ceremony at the Hofburg palace in Vienna.
Ashurbeyli, a billionaire scientist-engineer, businessman and philanthropist, was elected in January 2017 – or year 0001, according to the Asgardian calendar – to a five-year term.
Named after a mythical kingdom of Norse gods, Asgardia claims the status of “the first space nation – a global humanitarian project for everyone on the planet,” with the main goals of ensuring the peaceful use of space, protecting the Earth from space hazards and creating a demilitarized and free scientific base of knowledge in space.
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Ashurbeyli said that once the government is formed, it will seek “diplomatic solutions” to establish ties with countries on the earth and eventually apply for United Nations membership.
It plans in the long-term to set up habitable platforms in space and build settlements on the Moon, but before that to create a legal platform for the exploration of near-Earth and deep space in tempo with humanity’s technological and scientific expansion, replacing the “outdated” international space law with a universal space law.