Buda wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Poland will submit the candidature of a Polish scientist Sławosz Uznański (pictured) for the space mission.
Radek Pietruszka/PAP
A Polish astronaut will fly to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2024, Waldemar Buda, the development and technology minister, has told PAP.
If the mission goes ahead, the chosen astronaut will become only the second Pole in space after the late Mirosław Hermaszewski, who took part in an eight-day Soviet space mission in 1978.
On August 4, 2023, Buda signed an agreement on a Polish astronaut mission to the ISS with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Axiom Space (a US company operating in the space industry).
“An amazing story is being written before our eyes,” Buda told PAP on Wednesday.
“We have a candidate, but his participation in the mission still needs to be approved by the European Space Agency and our American partners.”
Buda said that the astronaut will have the opportunity to test the most advanced Polish technologies.
“For our companies, this is one-of-a-kind opportunity to gain a unique experience that will confirm the high quality of Polish products,” he said.
Later, Buda wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Poland will submit the candidature of a Polish scientist Sławosz Uznański for the space mission.
According to the Development and Technology Ministry, Axiom Space, in cooperation with the ESA, will manage all aspects required for preparing and completing the mission, including providing access to training facilities and instructors, equipment and safety certification, in-orbit management and post-mission support.
It added that the Polish astronaut selected for the mission “will focus on technological experiments.”
In addition to testing Polish technology in a low Earth orbit, there is also an educational aspect to the Polish astronaut’s mission, Kamila Król, a deputy development and technology minister said.
“We hope that the lessons broadcast from the ISS conducted by a Polish astronaut will reach thousands of students and will translate into a great interest in space among young Poles,” she added.
In 2023 Poland increased its financial contribution to the ESA by EUR 295 million. Owing to this more Polish companies will be able to participate in many development programmes in the field of satellite communication, navigation and Earth observation.
Companies from the Polish space sector can submit their concepts for conducting experiments on the ISS until September 8. Selected projects will be implemented on the ISS in 2024, according to the president of the Polish Space Agency Grzegorz Wrochna.