On November 12, a hard drive 'nanosat' containing the information of 18,000 newly naturalized citizens of Asgardia took off for its two-day flight to the international space station. The nanosat — it is roughly the size of a loaf of bread — contains 0.5 TB of data such as family photographs, as well as digital representations of the space nation's flag, coat of arms, and constitution. 

The project, lead by a 53-year-old rocket scientist Dr Igor Ashurbeyl, says its mission is to provide a "peaceful society," offer easier access to space technologies, and protect earth from space threats, such as asteroids and man-made debris in space.

"I really want to be able to see if human beings are able to have more opportunity to express their opinions, The society we live in now — everything seems to be either capitalism or communism — there's a lot of conflict. As a human being, I would hope (to see) if we could have other ways (of living). For a better life, and for more options." Says Dr Igor Ashurbeyl.