Earth's 1st space country Asgardia now has a formal Head of Nation

VIENNA (AUSTRIA): It sounds appealing given the state of politics on Earth: a plan to launch a utopian "space nation" with the aim of transcending earthly divisions.

At a lavish ceremony in Vienna's Hofburg Palace on Monday, some 200 attendees inaugurated Russian scientist and businessman Igor Ashurbeyli as the first "head of nation" of Asgardia, named after a realm in Norse mythology.

Ashurbeyli has been the driving force behind the concept, announcing the creation of Asgardia two years ago.

According to Ashurbeyli, Asgardia's citizens now number some 200,000 across the world, drawn by a vision of "space politics" over geopolitics.

The aim is to get the "most creative" members of the human race -- which Ashurbeyli estimates at roughly two percent of the world's population, or some 150 million people -- to sign up.

Space is the only arena left to humanity to escape environmental degradation and a ceaseless arms race, according to Ashurbeyli.

On Earth "your field of vision is limited to your elevation," whereas space would allow people to have a "three-dimensional picture" of their problems, Ashurbeyli said.

He admits that utopia won't come cheap. So far he has funded the project with his own money and that of some other private donors. But in the future Asgardians will all be expected to pay an annual "citizenship fee" of 100 euros as well as income and business taxes.

He plans to apply for UN recognition and said Monday he has had "informal contacts" with some countries to form bilateral ties, but that he could not name them.