Non-Profit Wants To Create A Country In Space, Launching This Summer

It seems a lot of groups and special interests have set goals of their own involving space travel. Tesla wants to colonize Mars, NASA wants to go to the sun, and now, a non-profit organization wants to create an independent nation out in space. Called “Asgardia,” the people behind the concept are already laying down the foundation with a launch set this summer.

Although it might sound like an extraordinary commitment to an idea that sounds suspiciously like it was sourced from science fiction, the idea was appealing enough to draw 205,563 members. Responsible for bringing all these people together is Igor Ashurbeyli and in the press briefing that held recently, NanoRacks CEO Jeffrey Manber explained what the summer launch would entail.

“The first presence of the Asgardian nation, we can now say, will be in space this year,” Manber said.

A founding member of Asgardia, Ram Jakhu also had a recent interview with Business Insider, who explained exactly what they want to achieve with the plan and how they would go about doing so.

"We have not seen any nation attempt this before. So this will be a first," Jakhu said. "We'll start small and eventually people will be going there, and working, and having their own rules and regulations ... This facility will become an independent nation."

To the skeptics and doubters who are calling the plan a waste of time, Jakhu also had a response.

“Anyone who tries out-of-the-box things is initially ridiculed,” Jakhu said. “Everything that’s amazing starts with a crazy idea. After a while, science fiction becomes science fact, and this is an idea which is just being initiated.”

While it is certainly possible to live in space for an extended period of time, as demonstrated by astronauts residing on the International Space Station for months, there are still considerable hurdles to be overcome before permanent residence is possible. On Mars, gravity and water are at least available. In space, resources are a bit more difficult to come by.