While it plans to someday host a moon colony and space station, the proposed space-based nation Asgardia is starting small: The project will launch its first satellite this fall to store data for the nation's newly selected citizens. Some 200,000 were chosen from the more than 500,000 applicants.

During a press conference in Hong Kong on June 13, Asgardia's founder, Igor Ashurbeyli, revealed concrete details about the satellite: Asgardia-1 will be deployed from Orbital ATK's Cygnus OA-8 resupply spacecraft launching in September. The satellite is 10 x 20 x 20 centimeters (3.9 x 7.9 x 7.9 inches) and has eight batteries and four deployable solar arrays. It will orbit at up to 500 kilometers (310 miles) above Earth. Texas-based space-services firm NanoRacks acts as the satellite's prime contractor and operator.

Someday, Ashurbeyli said, he hopes to create a planetary-defense constellation that will help protect against asteroids, solar flares and human-made space debris; this satellite is just the first step.

During the conference, Ashurbeyli also described plans for a space station and moon colony. "We plan to have this station in space and on the moon," he said. "It will be a four-level orbital station. I think the technical details will be defined by the Ministry of Science, which I hope we will have in the autumn of this year."

Ashurbeyli didn't provide additional details, but Asgardia has released imagery of the potential off-Earth locations. One image shows a rotating-wheel space station alongside an interplanetary rocket, and another shows, presumably, the interior of that space station with a wall of windows, a canal and greenery. The rocket has a habitation module and a lunar lander that looks like a cross between the NASA Orion spacecraft and the 1960s Apollo program lunar lander.

The approved applicants for Asgardian citizenship will be invited to vote on a constitution for the space-based nation on June 18. At that time, Ashurbeyli said, the organs of the proposed state — the ministries, parliament and executive branch — should be created. Ashurbeyli is calling June 18 Asgardian National Unity Day, and the date will be a public holiday if the state is realized.

More than 500,000 people applied for Asgardian citizenship online within 20 days when the project was announced in October last year. The organizers removed ineligible people, such as children, and were left with almost 200,000 people from about 200 countries. (Now, the website lists more than 210,000.) The approved applicants have each received personal certificates of Asgardia and can vote to approve the lawyer-designed constitution on June 18. The constitution was published on June 13.

Of the citizenship applicants, 80 percent are men, and the largest demographic comprises 18- to 35-year-olds. While there are applicants from almost every country on Earth, China has the most applicants, followed by Turkey, then the United States and then Italy. People can register as prospective Asgardians on the website.

Asgardia is being funded by Ashurbeyli's nonprofit Aerospace International Research Center (AIRC), based in Vienna. He said he expects that once Asgardia's constitution is approved, the state will be built by its citizen volunteers and Asgardia will become self-funding. Ashurbeyli said he expects to file for United Nations recognition by April 2018, if Asgardia's parliament and government have been set up and the satellite launched before then, he said during the conference.

In the meantime, AIRC owns Asgardian intellectual property. The company will collect, analyze and fund ideas and startups in space technology for the benefit of Asgardia. Ashurbeyli is also offering 300KB of free data storage on board Asgardia-1 for Asgardian citizens. Family members, up to a maximum of 400,000 people, will get 200KB. Another 1 million people will get 100KB.

"Sixty years after the launch of the first-ever artificial satellite, Sputnik, our own space satellite, Asgardia-1, will mark the beginning of a new space era, taking our citizens into space in virtual form, at first," Ashurbeyli said.

Ram Jakhu, the director of McGill University's Institute of Air and Space Law in Montreal, is the Asgardia project team legal expert. During the conference, he told the press that the Asgardian data stored on Asgardia-1 would be subject to U.S. privacy laws. The Asgardians' data will also be stored on future Asgardian satellites.

Custodians of the hypothetical 'space nation' Asgardia will be launching their first ever satellite in the coming months, and they've finally revealed their initial plans for the hundreds of thousands of people who have already applied for citizenship.

While more than 500,000 people have already registered their interest, the team behind the off-planet nation state announced that applications are still open, and more than 1 million 'citizens' will be given the opportunity to store data on their satellite, free of charge and free from Earthly laws and regulations.

"These are historic days," said Russian scientist and 'Head of Nation', Igor Ashurbeyli, at the press conference this week in Hong Kong.

"[Y]our names and data will forever stay in the memory of the new space humanity, as they will be reinstalled on every following Asgardia satellite, orbital satellite constellations, on the Moon, and anywhere in the Universe - wherever Asgardia will be."

For those who missed the hype, late last year an international group of scientists announced plans to establish Asgardia - a permanent space station that will house space tourists, run asteroid mining missions, and provide defence for Earth against meteorites, space debris, and other serious threats.

When they opened up applications in October, they said the first 100,000 applicants would be granted citizenship of Asgardia alongside their nationality on Earth.

But since then, more than 500,000 people have registered their interest, and in response to the influx, the Asgardian team has expanded their plans to let more than a million people take part in the initial stages of their plans.

"The first 100,000 people who became Asgardian citizens can send up to 500KB each to Asgardia-1. The next 400,000 Asgardians can send up to 200KB. The next million citizens can send up to 100KB each. After that, free storage will be closed."

(Note that the press release has two dates - 25 June 0001 and 14 June 2017 - because of course they have their own calendar.)

The group plans to launch their satellite by September 2017, piggybacking on a supply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The tiny CubeSat satellite - measuring approximately 10 cm on each side, and weighing around 1 kilogram - will carry a 512GB solid state drive pre-loaded with data.

But before that happens, some housekeeping must be sorted out, so on June 18, the Asgardian flag, insignia, and national anthem are set to be finalised.

In six months' time, the group expects to have the first Parliament of Asgardia established.

Of course, there's no telling when or if the actual point of all this - that lawless off-planet settlement - will ever actually become a reality, but it's certainly fun to think about.

Case in point: this amazing set of "Frequently Asked Questions" on the Asgardia website.

Here are a few highlights:

• I got my Asgardian citizenship. Are my children considered Asgardians?
  
  As per Asgardia's Constitution, any child born to at least one Asgardian parent is considered an Asgardian citizen by virtue of birth. A child born before the foundation of Asgardia may become a citizen the request of their parent(s) who are Asgardian citizen(s).
• Will Asgardia become a member of Olympic and Paralympic Committees and participate in Olympic and Paralympic Games?
  
  Asgardia plans to apply for membership in the International Olympic Committee.
• Will there be an Asgardian embassy in my country?
  
  There will be Asgardian embassies on each continent.
• Will Asgardia have its own TV channel?
  
  Yes, Asgardia plans to eventually launch its own TV channel.

God speed, you crazy dreamers. We can't wait to see what happens next.