On 19 July 2017, due to an overwhelming volume of questions, Lena De Winne, the CEO and Vice-President of NGO Asgardia held a Q&A session online . One of the hottest topics was how the votes are being counted.

"When one enters the website and registers, they are just a registered user," explained De Winne. "When one enters the voting page -- that person is counted as one who took part in the voting. And after that, even after one second, if that person leaves without voting, that is counted as 'no'. We have found that in the legislation of many countries, such a period for electronic voting is at least fifteen seconds. So once the voting is closed, the total number of people who have entered the page - but of course once, one registered user is counted once - is going to be published, after the 100,000th vote is achieved."

For the final number that will determine whether or not the Constitution is adopted, De Winne said: "It will be a proportion of the number of people who counted 'yes' to the number registered users who have entered the page and those who did not click 'yes', those are counted as those who voted 'no'".

De Winne emphasised that "only registered users are able to get as far as the voting. We count not based on the IP addresses, but on the registered addresses of the users. If somebody is registered as an Asgardian but enters as a registered Asgardian three times, that person is counted only once."

You asked, Asgardia answered. For more answers to questions you may have, please see our Frequently Asked Questions .

Almost 6,500 people have applied for leadership positions in Asgardia, and the number keeps growing.

As a final reminder, you can only apply for one position at a time. If you applied for more than one, you have 48 hours to select one position and delete the others. If you haven't taken any action in 48 hours, you will automatically be assigned one of the positions you've chosen, and the others will be deleted.

The positions available are:

- Debutant – 10 votes

- Strategist – 100 votes

- Trendsetter – 1,000 votes

- Ambassador – 10,000 votes

We hope to see even more leaders as people connect locally and globally. If you have questions about leadership elections, please write to elections@asgardia.space.

Asgardia is excited to announce that voting has been extended until 100,000 Asgardians accept the Constitution. This decision is based on the requests of many Asgardians and the approval of the Head of Nation. The voting on the national symbols – Asgardia’s flag, anthem and coat of arms – is also extended for the same period.

Congratulations to all Asgardians who have helped Asgardia take yet another important step in the space nation’s development!

On 13 June 2017 ( 24 June 0001) , preliminary voting commenced on the Constitution of Asgardia, its national symbols and Head of Nation. Asgardia’s official voting day – 18 June 2017 ( 1 Asgard 0001) is Unity Day, a national holiday in Asgardia.

Today, on 13 July 2017 (26 Asgard 0001) we inform you that voting will close on 18 July 2017 (3 July 0001).

Anyone who votes on www.asgardia.space before the closing of voting:

• - Is considered a citizen of Asgardia, and receives an ID and passport of Asgardia free of charge
• - Can upload and swap their files on the Asgardia-1 satellite without charge, as well as has the right to free storage of files on all future satellites and spacecraft for as long as Asgardia exists – for forever
• - Can nominate themselves for a leadership position of any level in Asgardia, and vote for leaders of all levels
• - Can nominate themselves for Parliamentary position in Asgardia and vote for Parliamentary candidates
• - Can work in Asgardia's government and localities
• - Can become an ambassador/consul/representative of Asgardia
• 
  
• After the close of voting on 18 July 2017 ( 3 July 0001 ), anyone who passed the second verification but did not accept the Constitution remains a verified Asgardian and can participate in forum discussions, but does not receive the above-mentioned rights.
• 
  
• After 18 July 2017 ( 3 July 0001 ), anyone (who is already verified or newly registered) who accepts the Constitution will become an applicant for the Asgardia’s citizenship. Citizenship will be granted based on the Law on the citizenship of Asgardia, which will be developed by Asgardia’s Parliament during the next six months.
• 
  
• We ask that you relay this information to as many people as possible.

Asgardia has once again risen in rank by population size among Earthly nations. It is now 182nd, having surpassed New Caledonia, Mayotte and Samoa, and quickly approaching the population size of French Guinea.

With 267,090 members, it continues to build momentum, as more than 75,000 people have accepted the Constitution to become the citizens of Asgardia.

An official ceremony took place today at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, during which Asgardia’s Head of Nation Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli, an active supporter of space science development, signed an agreement to institute a new UNESCO prize and medal in the science category.

The prize and five medals will be awarded annually for contributions to the development of space science. Signing on behalf of UNESCO was Irina Bokova, its Director-General, and the first woman to lead the organization.

Also present were Alexander Kuznetsov, Russian Federation’s (RF) Ambassador to the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, and RF’s Ambassador-at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eleonora Mitrofanova, a former Permanent Delegate to UNESCO and former Chairperson of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

UNESCO’s honors are currently comprised of five awards, three prizes and four medals. This agreement marks an important addition to the existing categories.

An official ceremony took place today at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, during which Asgardia’s Head of Nation Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli, an active supporter of space science development, signed an agreement to institute a new UNESCO prize and medal in the science category.

The prize and five medals will be awarded annually for contributions to the development of space science. Signing on behalf ofUNESCO was Irina Bokova, its Director-General, and the first woman to lead the organization.

Also present were Alexander Kuznetsov, Russian Federation’s (RF) Ambassador to the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, RF’s Ambassador-at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eleonora Mitrofanova, a former Permanent Delegate to UNESCO and former Chairperson of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, and Professor Evgeny Chesnokov of the University of Houston’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

UNESCO’s honors are currently comprised of five awards, three prizes and four medals. This agreement marks an important addition to the existing categories.

We've just reached another milestone, with 250,000 people registering to become part of Asgardia, its mission and its future. The leading countries of origin are, respectively, Turkey, China, the United States, Brazil and Italy.

Almost 60,000 people have already ratified the Constitution, which allows them to proceed to uploading a file to Asgardia-1 and sending it to space, where it will stay forever.

We've just reached another milestone, with 250,000 people registering to become part of Asgardia, its mission and its future. The leading countries of origin are, respectively, Turkey, China, the United States, Brazil and Italy.

Almost 60,000 people have already ratified the Constitution, which allows them to proceed to uploading a file to Asgardia-1 and sending it to space, where it will stay forever.

The Asgardia-1 satellite has been safely delivered to Nanoracks, a Webster, TX-based provider of commercial hardware and services for the US National Laboratory onboard the International Space Station. It is currently securely stored under five locks in a facility with surveillance and a monitored alarm system.

NASA-mandated tests have been successfully conducted to ensure the satellite's safety: its batteries and power systems were tested; it passed a vibration test, which simulates vibration during launch; as well as the vacuum chamber test, which ensures that the satellite survives in the vacuum of space.

Nanoracks sent a line of code to the satellite, to which Asgardia-1 responded, "Hello, world!"

Please remember to upload your files to the satellite before 22 July 2017, as the next opportunity to do so will be after deployment, currently scheduled for November 2017.

The Asgardia-1 satellite has been safely delivered to Nanoracks, a Webster, TX-based provider of commercial hardware and services for the US National Laboratory onboard the International Space Station. It is currently securely stored under five locks in a facility with surveillance and a monitored alarm system.

NASA-mandated tests have been successfully conducted to ensure the satellite's safety: its batteries and power systems were tested; it passed a vibration test, which simulates vibration during launch; as well as the vacuum chamber test, which ensures that the satellite survives in the vacuum of space.

Nanoracks sent a line of code to the satellite, to which Asgardia-1 responded, "Hello, world!"

Please remember to upload your files to the satellite before 22 July 2017, as the next opportunity to do so will be after deployment, currently scheduled for November 2017.

With almost 250,000 people who registered for Asgardia, the nation-state’s population has now jumped to 183rd among the countries of the world. Asgardia’s population has recently surpassed that of Mayotte, Samoa and Saint Lucia.

More than 55,000 have become citizens by accepting the Constitution, almost 7,000 uploaded their files to the Asgardia-1 satellite, and 4,242 are participating in the leadership elections.

With almost 250,000 people who registered for Asgardia, the nation-state’s population has now jumped to 183 ^rd among the countries of the world. Asgardia’s population has now surpassed that of Mayotte, Samoa and Saint Lucia.

More than 55,000 have become citizens by accepting the Constitution, almost 7,000 uploaded their files to the Asgardia-1 satellite, and 4,242 are participating in the leadership elections.

Naming a star is old news – you can now give your loved one the sense of being ever-present in space by sharing your storage on the Asgardia-1 satellite.

After accepting the Constitution, you will be granted storage space on Asgardia-1, due to launch this fall, and you can upload text or photos. The first 1.5 million people can send their files for free.

So take your loved ones, your friend, your schoolmate along with you for this journey that begins your permanent presence in space. Give them a gift that is, quite literally, out of this world.

The new Constitution of Asgardia, released earlier this month in English , has been translated into six more languages. It is now available in Turkish , Spanish , Italian , German , French and Russian .

As a reminder, accepting the Constitution means you, as a citizen, can now vote on national symbols, upload your files to the Asgardia-1 satellite and participate in the leadership elections.

The new Constitution of Asgardia, released earlier this month in English , has been translated into six more languages. It is now available in Turkish , Spanish , Italian , German , French and Russian .

As a reminder, accepting the Constitution means you, as a citizen, can now vote on national symbols, upload your files to the Asgardia-1 satellite and participate in the leadership elections.