The Ax-4 mission was finally approved by the international committee responsible for the International Space Station (ISS) – the Multilateral Crew Board. This mission is a giant step for all participating countries. This is the fourth manned mission organised by Axiom Space in cooperation with NASA. Apart from Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, the on-board crew will be composed of astronauts representing India and Hungary, which – similarly to Poland – return to the manned space flights after a long-term break.

On 5 February, the crew of the Ax-4 mission to ISS met in Warsaw with the space industry experts, youth and media representatives during the event hosted by the Copernicus Science Centre. The Polish crew member, Project Astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA) – Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski will perform numerous experiments within the first Polish technological and scientific mission to ISS – IGNIS. IGNIS is a part of the Ax-4 mission.

This is a pivotal moment for Poland and a real breakthrough for us. Poland is deeply committed to its space program and international initiatives such as this mission

– said Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the meeting with Ax-4 crew in Warsaw.

The IGNIS mission is both a breakthrough event and primarily the investment in the future of the Polish space sector. Participation of the Polish entities in this mission provides the domestic technological industry with unique experience, which will translate into long-term development and international competitiveness. Poland becomes a major player in space industry, capable to create and export state-of-the-art technologies at the highest innovation level

– pointed out the Minister of Economic Development and Technology Krzysztof Paszyk at the meeting.

Our astronauts will be responsible for 13 Polish experiments. These include ambitious scientific programmes, among others researching the effect of microgravity on human immunological system and application of artificial intelligence in space. This is the first step. Anyone who is interested in modern economy and technologies is aware of what an important part of them already takes place in space

– stressed Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Ax-4 crew

The Ax-4 crew consists of:

Peggy Whitson (USA) – mission commander, the most experienced US female astronaut, who accumulated a total of 675 days in space!

Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland) – mission specialist, Polish scientist and engineer, selected the ESA Reserve Astronaut in 2022 from more than 22,500 candidates.

Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – mission specialist, mechanical engineer, selected the astronaut from 247 candidates under the Hungarian HUNOR programme. He dedicated his professional career to space radiation protection and development of technology in the automotive, pharmaceutical and logistic industries.

Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – mission pilot, captain, pilot of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and test pilot, accumulated more than 2 thousand hours of flights with various aircrafts. Cooperates with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) since 2019.

During the visit to Poland, the crew was also accompanied by Sergio Palumberi – International Space Station Mission Manager from the Columbus Control Centre, managing the preparations of the Polish IGNIS Mission, and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher.

Mission overview

During the 14-day long mission, the crew will perform research in microgravity conditions on among others the astronauts’ health, microbiome, new materials and technologies, including the use of artificial intelligence. It will also commit to educational activities.

At the meeting, the astronauts revealed the mission backstage preparations with the audience, talked about its objectives, their expectations and challenges to be faced. The event was attended by the representatives of the Polish space sector, including the companies and institutions, 13 experiments of which will be performed by the Polish astronaut at ISS. The meeting participants discussed the development opportunities of the domestic space technologies in the field of among others biology, medicine and psychology as well as the cooperation perspectives and building competitiveness of Poland at the international level.

As part of the agenda of the visit to Poland, the astronauts held the meeting with youth and children, during which they talked about their training and flight preparations. They answered the children’s questions on the mission and presented several educational experiments to be performed at ISS soon. They emphasized how important is to ignite the passion to space in the youngest ones, who are the future of the sector as a whole.

The IGNIS mission is the effect of agreement signed on 4 August 2023 by and between the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology and ESA on preparation and implementation of the Polish technological and scientific mission to ISS. One of the Polish entities involved in mission preparations is the Polish Space Agency (POLSA).

This mission is a tremendous opportunity and a challenge for the Polish space sector. Its success depends on the work of many committed people. All must be agreed and prepared in advance, since there can be no improvisations in space.  The Polish astronaut will spend 14 busy days in orbit: 13 technological and scientific experiments, 25 educational experiments, 4 connections with the Earth. We want to make 100 percent of our chance given to us by the IGNIS mission

– said the President of POLSA, Professor Grzegorz Wrochna.

The launch of the Ax-4 mission is scheduled in spring 2025 at the NASA Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The astronauts will spend nearly 14 days at ISS, performing scientific experiments and testing the new technologies in microgravity conditions. The crew will reach ISS with Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon manned capsule by SpaceX.