So why not put the chaos on Earth behind us and start afresh in space?

The evangelists of Asgardia, the 'first space nation', believe that the problems of Earth should not be replicated in space when, they believe, people start moving there.

'It would be dangerous to take with us the huge baggage of problems accumulated over millennia,' says Igor Ashurbeyli, the founder and head of nations of Asgardia.

He hopes to lay the political and legal foundations for a new type of nation, one that 'sees no borders'.

Since its formation in 2016, Asgardia now boasts a constitution and a parliament that serves almost 20,000 citizens around the world.

In exchange for €100 (£86), citizens receive a handful of Solar – Asgardia's own cryptocurrency – and the opportunity to upload their photo to a small satellite that orbits the Earth.