Mr Öpik said: “I’m 54, so statistically speaking I’ve got a quarter of a century to see all this happen and I think it’s realistic to see 20,000 inhabit space.
“More will probably go there in that time, possibly millions.
“The ways to get into space right now are to make friends with a superpower and go through astronaut school or to be a billionaire and build your own rocket that will take you there.
“Or you can become an Asgardian and while there are other initiatives such as Blue Origin – the brainchild of Jeff Bezos who clearly sees the same logical imperatives as Asgardia does – Asgardia is the only properly developed society with its own governance system and cohesive proto-society.”
Mr Öpik previously told Express.co.uk space colonisation is coming and it is simply a matter of time.