Igor Raufovich Ashurbeyli (, ; born 9 September 1963) is an Azerbaijani-Russian scientist, businessman and a Head of the

micronation A micronation is a polity, political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from list o ...

Asgardia, the Space Nation. He is also the leader of the

Party of Russia's Rebirth The Party of Russia's Rebirth ( ''Partiya Vozrozhdeniya Rossii'') is a political party in Russia founded by Gennady Seleznev, former State Duma speaker and a former member of the Communist Party of Russia (2002-2007). The party took the name of ...

since 2016. He was the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Scientific Production Association (SPA) Almaz from 2000 to 2011. He is also the founder and

chairman of the board The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

of Socium Holding. He has a

Doctorate of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

in engineering and a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in engineering, with a specialization in computer science.

Biography

Igor Ashurbeyli was born on 9 September 1963, in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

Azerbaijan SSR The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also referred to as the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Azerbaijani SSR, AzSSR, Soviet Azerbaijan or simply Azerbaijan, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union be ...

, a descendant of the Azerbaijani noble family of

Ashurbeyov The Ashurbeyovs () or Ashurbeylis () are an Azerbaijani noble family, with an extensive history and bloodline. History The Ashurbeyov family originated from Ashur khan Afsharid dynasty, Afshar. Ashur khan was Nader Shah, Nadir shah's relative, an ...

. He graduated from the

Azerbaijan State Oil Academy Azerbaijan State Oil and Industrial University (formerly Azerbaijan State Oil Academy) () is a tertiary education institution in Baku, Azerbaijan. History The rise of what became ASOIU is tied to the rise of the petroleum industry in the Ba ...

in 1985.Matthew Vella
Russian military entrepreneur sets up Malta base
— ''

Malta Today ''Malta Today'' is a twice-weekly English language newspaper published in was published in 1999, and started out as a Friday newspaper. History ''Malta Today'' was first published on Friday, 19 November 1999. It was edited by Saviour Balzan, ...

'', 23 June 2015Taisiya Bekbulatova
The space kingdom of Asgardia
— ''

Meduza ''Meduza'' (Russian: Медуза, named after the Greek goddess Medusa) is a Russian- and English-language independent news website, headquartered in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 2014 by a group of former employees of the then-independent ...

'', 23 january 2018 In 1988, under the Soviet Union's then-new economic policies, he founded Socium, a small software company, serving as its first

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

. It later became Socium Holding, a holding company with over 10,000 employees at over 30 companies, where Ashurbeyli services as chairman of the board.Sustainable development of the Socium Holding
— ''The Socium Holding'' In 1990, Ashurbeyli moved to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. Starting in 1994, he held the positions of deputy general manager, first deputy general manager, and chairman of the board at SPA Almaz (later rebranded as

GSKB Almaz-Antey JSC NPO Almaz named after A.A. Raspletin (, former SB-1, 1947–1950; KB-1, 1950–1966; MKB Strela, 1966–1971; TsKB Almaz, 1971–1988; NPO Almaz, 1988–2008; GSKB Almaz-Antey, 2008–2015) is a Soviet/Russian military R&D enterprise foun ...

), later becoming its

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

(CEO) from 2000 to 2011. Ashurbeyli resigned from SPA Almaz in 2011. From 2011, he was the chairman of the board and scientific supervisor of KB-1 (Design Bureau-1), a privately held company.The Board of Directors meeting
(in Russian). — ''

'', 4 February 2011Bill Harby
Asgardia: The problems in building a space society
— ''

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

'', 3 August 2018 From 2004, Ashurbeyli was the chairman of the board of the nonprofit non-government Expert Society on Space Threat Defense (ESSTD). In 2015, ESSTD was granted special consultative status with the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

(ECOSOC).Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations Recommends Special Consultative Status for 55 Entities, Defers Action on 45, in Second Day of Session
— ''

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

'', 28 January 2015 He was awarded the Russian Federation Government Prize in Science and Technology of 2009.Russian Federation Government Decree No. 333-р as of 17 March 2010 "On winning a Russian Federation Government Prize in Science and Technology of 2009"
(in Russian). — ''

Rossiyskaya Gazeta ' () is a Russian newspaper published by the Government of Russia. History ''Rossiyskaya Gazeta'' was founded in 1990 by the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR during the ''glasnost'' reforms in Soviet Union, shortl ...

'' (an official newspaper of the Government of the Russian Federation), 26 March 2010Andrea Lo
Asgardia: the world's first space nation
— ''

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

'', 20 June 2017 On 5 February 2016, Ashurbeyli was awarded the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Medal for contributions to the development of nanoscience and nanotechnologies during a ceremony held at UNESCO headquarters,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

.Fifth UNESCO Medals for contributions to the development of nanoscience and nanotechnologies ceremony
— ''

'', 5 February 2016 Igor Ashurbeyli founded the Aerospace International Research Center in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, in 2013. In 2014, the center began publication of an international space journal, ROOM, of which Ashurbeyli is the editor-in-chief. In July 2018, Aerospace International Research Center was renamed to Asgardia Independent Research Center.Daniel Clery
Space oddity: Group claims to have created nation in space
— ''

Science Magazine ''Science'' is the peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and one of the world's top academic journals. It was first published in 1880, is currently circulated weekly and has a subscrib ...

'', 12 October 2016 On 12 October 2016, Igor Ashurbeyli announced in a press conference in

, "the birth of the new space nation Asgardia."Scientists plan to create 'Asgardia' nation state in space
— ''

'', 13 October 2016Dave Mosher
A multinational group wants you to join 'Asgardia'—the first outer space nation with a mission to defend Earth
— ''

Business Insider Australia ''Business Insider'' (stylized in all caps: BUSINESS INSIDER; known from 2021 to 2023 as INSIDER) is a New York City–based multinational financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider ...

'', 13 October 2016 The project is officially called the " Space Kingdom of Asgardia."The Constitution of the Space Kingdom of Asgardia
/ref> The ultimate aim of the project is to create a new nation that allows access to outer space free of the control of existing nations.Sarah Knapton
Scientists propose space nation named ‘Asgardia’ and cosmic shield to protect Earth from asteroids
— ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

'', 12 October 2016Nicola Davis
Will you become a citizen of Asgardia, the first nation state in space?
— ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 12 October 2016 On 25 June 2018, in

Hofburg Palace The Hofburg () is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the center of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the im ...

, Igor Ashurbeyli was inaugurated as Asgardia's Head of Nation.First in history Inauguration of the Head of the First Space Nation Asgardia
— ''Asgardia.Space''A moment in space and time
— ''Room, The Space Journal'', Issue No. 2 (16) 2018 Asgardia intends to launch a series of

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

s into Earth orbit. Going forward, the Asgardia team hopes to create habitable platforms in low-earth orbits, which is also where the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

is located. "It's not a fantasy. Going to Mars, the galactics, so on—that's just fake. I intend something more real," Igor Ashurbeyli told

in June 2017. The

Cygnus spacecraft Cygnus is an Expendable launch system, expendable American Uncrewed spacecraft, automated cargo spacecraft designed for International Space Station (ISS) resupply missions. It was initially developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation with financia ...

that carried Asgardia-1 into space released Asgardia-1 and two other satellites on 12 November 2017. The Space Kingdom of Asgardia has claimed that it is now "the first nation to have all of its territory in space." Legal scholars doubt that Asgardia-1 can be regarded as a

sovereign territory The Westphalian system, also known as Westphalian sovereignty, is a principle in international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal cu ...

.Eric Mack
Space nation Asgardia ready to launch itself into orbit
— '' CNET'', 13 June 2017

Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society Council in the state of Israel

On 25 December 2015, Ashurbeyli became the Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS) Council in the state of Israel, which was created in 2015 as an IOPS directorate in the State of Israel to manage the St. Sergius Metochion in Jerusalem, which opened in July 2017 after repairs and restoration was completed in November 2016, and to support religious tourism and pilgrimage from the Russian Federation into Israel. In 2015, as IOPS Chairman Sergey Stepashin and Minister of Culture of Russia

Vladimir Medinsky Vladimir Rostislavovich Medinsky (; born 18 July 1970) is a Russian politician, political scientist and historian who currently serves as an Aide to President Vladimir Putin. Previously, he has served as the Minister of Culture from May 2012 t ...

signed a Program of Joint Actions for the Development of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage from the Russian Federation which supported the repairs and restoration which led to the establishment of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS) Council in the state of Israel. For many years in support of Russia foreign policy, the IOPS has conducted charitable activities of the Russian Federation in the countries of the Middle East and is pivotal in collecting and delivering humanitarian aid to

Syrians Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine Arabic, Levantine and Mesopotamian Arabic, Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The culture of Syria, cultural ...

in Syria and

Palestinians Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...

in Palestine including Gaza and the West Bank. Ashurbeyli lives in Russia not the Middle East but often travels for business from Russia to the Middle East, the State of Israel, and Jerusalem in support of IOPS activities.

Politics

On 17 June 2016, Ashurbeyli was elected new leader of the

after the death of

Gennady Seleznyov Gennadiy Nikolayevich Seleznyov (; 6 November 1947 – 19 July 2015) was a Russian politician, the Chairman of the State Duma from 1996 to 2003. Early life and career Born at Serov in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Gennadiy Seleznyov went to school from 1 ...

."Партия возрождения России" выбрала нового лидера
/ref>

References

External links

Official English website

Official Russian website
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashurbeyli, Igor 1963 births Living people Azerbaijani engineers Businesspeople from Moscow Engineers from Baku Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Recipients of the Medal of Zhukov Micronational leaders Asgardia Ashurbeyli family

Biography

Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society Council in the state of Israel

Politics

See also

References

External links