Asgardia has revealed its plans to build and supply a new node module for the International Space Station, to extend its capacity and commercial value.
the state-of-art node module is modelled on the design of existing European-built modules. Dr Igor Ashurbeyli, founder of Asgardia and project lead, said that would help extend the capacity and commercial value of the Space Station.
As well as supporting commercial development and expanding scientific research opportunities, the module would also have the capacity to eventually form the core node of an autonomous space station operated by Asgardia.
In his article, Ashurbeyli notes that the limited number of available docking ports and related infrastructure constitutes a major obstacle to the future expansion of commercial capabilities on the International Space Station. He explains: “To directly address this, Asgardia has proposed the provision of an Asgardia node module that would be integrated into the European part of the International Space Station.
“It addresses the current limitations in habitable volume and research capabilities, incorporating the much-needed additional docking ports, which would be made available to both agency and commercial customers.”
ESA reject Asgardia’s proposal
Despite recognising its “technical validity and potential promise”, ESA has for now declined the consortium’s proposal due to what it described as “political and technological risks”, both of which are refuted by Dr Ashurbeyli in his article.
Addressing the widely noted aspect of Asgardia’s positioning as a digital space nation, he writes: “As a digital space nation Asgardia is not yet formally recognised by earthly states and so political risks are zero.
“Technological risks are also minimal given that the consortium members are space industry world leaders and are committed to the project to design, build and delivery. Asgardia also remains confident that the financial resources for the project can be found in the marketplace.”
Dr Ashurbeyli, a Russian scientist, businessman and philanthropist, is the Founder of Asgardia the space nation, which is also currently working to launch the world’s first national digital economy. Asgardia’s core technical scientific vision is the birth of the first human child in space, which the organisation believes will be the first step towards the ultimate survival of the humankind as a species in the Universe. To achieve this Asgardia is examining solutions for protecting people from space radiation, creating artificial gravity, and is drafting laws to create a fair and equitable society beyond planet Earth.
