Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski is set to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 29 as part of the Ax-4 mission. The launch, scheduled for 7:03 p.m. Polish time, was confirmed on Tuesday by Axiom Space and the European Space Agency during a joint press conference.
Uznański-Wiśniewski will become the second Pole to travel into space, after Mirosław Hermaszewski’s historic flight in 1978. His participation in the mission is the result of an agreement signed between the Ministry of Development and Technology and ESA for the preparation and conduct of a Polish technological mission to the ISS. Uznański-Wiśniewski will be a mission specialist representing both Poland and the European Space Agency.
During the 14-day Ax-4 mission to the ISS, Polish ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski will carry out 13 scientific experiments developed by Polish researchers under the national Ignis initiative.
– The “Ignis” mission is a breakthrough event not only for our space sector. Thirteen Polish experiments in the field of technology, biology, medicine and psychology, prepared by Polish scientists and engineers – will open new opportunities for Polish research, and in the long term will increase Poland’s competitiveness in the international arena – says Prof. Grzegorz Wrochna, former president of the Polish Space Agency.
The crew will conduct research in microgravity conditions, focusing on astronaut health, the microbiome, new materials, technologies—including artificial intelligence—and other key scientific areas. They will also engage in educational activities for children and youth.
In total, the Ax-4 mission will feature over 60 experiments contributed by researchers from Poland, the United States, India, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, and the UAE. The focus includes the effects of microgravity, Earth observation, next-generation fuels, and astronaut health.
Among the Polish experiments are:
Leopardiss: an initiative to to test a processor designed to enable artificial intelligence applications aboard satellites and spacecraft.
Space Volcanic Algae: a study investigating how microalgae—potential future sources of food and oxygen—survive in space
Neurofeedback EEG:a project to explore how isolation and microgravity affect astronauts’ stress levels.
These experiments are essential steps toward enabling longer, safer and more sustainable human spaceflight. Many of the discoveries made in orbit could lead to advances in everyday life on Earth.
Sławosz Uznański. Photo credits: Sebastiaan ter Burg from Utrecht, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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