Polish astronaut to take part in mission to the ISS

The Ministry of Economic Development and Technology reminded on Wednesday that on August 4 it had signed an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Axiom Space regarding a mission to the ISS.

"We have certainty and a guarantee that the second Polish astronaut will take part in a space mission in orbit. It's an incredible story that is unfolding before our eyes. We have a candidate, but his participation in the mission still has to be approved the European Space Agency and our American partners," Buda said at a press briefing in Łódź on Wednesday.

Later that day, the minister announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) that Poland would put forward Sławosz Uznański as its candidate for the mission.

"We hope it will be him. It's a prestigious opportunity for Poland, but also for the whole space industry."

According to the minister, Poland's cooperation with the ESA and Axiom Space is "an important step in the development of the Polish space industry and Polish science".

Buda also said that the Polish astronaut will be responsible for "technological experments" on the ISS and "will have a chance to test Poland's most advanced technologies".

The ministry also stressed that in 2023 Poland has increased its contribution to the ESA by 295 million euros.

"This will enable Polish companies to take part in many programmes designed to develop technology, products and services in the field of satellite communications, navigation and Earth observation."

"This is a huge chance for Polish space sector which is at the turning point," the ministry added.

Sławosz Uznański is a Polish scientist and electronics engineer currently working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). His research focuses on the design and realisation of reliable electronic systems and operating complex scientific machines including the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. One of his most notable projects in this domain was the creation of a radiation-tolerant power converter control system which has been a core part of the LHC since 2017.

Uznański grew up in Łódź where he received his M.Sc. from the local University of Technology in 2008 (with honours). He then moved to France to continue his studies, achieving an M.Sc. from Université de Nantes, Diplôme d’Ingénieur from Polytech Nantes in 2008, and subsequent Ph.D. from the University of Aix-Marseille in 2011 (with honours).

The first-ever, and so far the only one, Polish astronaut in space was Mirosław Hermaszewski.

When he flew aboard the Soviet Soyuz 30 spacecraft in 1978, Hermaszewski became the 89th human to reach outer space.

Hermaszewski died on December 12, 2022, at the age of 81.