The Asgardia-1 satellite from the Asgardia national space project is gradually losing altitude and may fall into the atmosphere and burn up around mid-September.
Design of the Asgardia-1 satellite. (Photo: Asgardia).
The first space nation of humanity, Asgardia, is at risk of losing its only piece of “territory” beyond Earth, the Asgardia-1 satellite. Tracking data from the U.S. Space Force and other sources indicate that the satellite is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and catch fire around mid-September.
Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli, a Russian scientist, proposed the establishment of Asgardia, the first independent space nation, in October 2016. This nation is named after a celestial realm in Norse mythology. Citizens can apply to join Asgardia for free. The mission of the project is to create a peaceful society, facilitate easier access to space technologies, and protect Earth from extraterrestrial threats such as asteroids or artificial space debris, according to Ashurbeyli.
Illustration of the space nation Asgardia. (Photo: James Vaughan).
The Asgardia-1 satellite plays a crucial role in the Asgardia national space project, launched into space in 2017. In addition to representing Asgardia’s territory beyond Earth, this small satellite carries digital copies of the Asgardia constitution, its flag, and data about Asgardia’s “citizens”—those who chose to participate in this nation-building experiment. Asgardia-1 also has a scientific mission to study the effects of space radiation on digital data storage.
Updates from the U.S. Space Force’s Space-Track database on July 20 show that Asgardia-1’s altitude is gradually decreasing, meaning the satellite is being pulled down into the atmosphere by Earth’s gravity. The latest update predicts it will re-enter the atmosphere and burn up on September 14. Satview, a website that tracks space debris, predicts that Asgardia-1 will fall earlier, on September 11.
A representative from Asgardia stated that they are “monitoring” the situation and did not provide further comments. It remains unclear how the loss of Asgardia-1 will affect Asgardia’s goal of becoming a recognized nation or its longer-term aim of having the first residents born in space. So far, no country has recognized Asgardia’s statehood. However, the organization continues to operate online and plans to hold elections for the position of “head of state” on September 9.
