Ignis: First Polish space mission with ESA’s Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski

The Dragon spacecraft carrying Polish ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and his colleagues Peggy Whitson, Shubhanshu Shukla and Tibor Kapu docked to the International Space Station at 12:31 CEST/10:31 GMT on 26 June.

The four astronauts are part of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) and will live and work in orbit for approximately two weeks.

The crew spent around 26 hours catching up with the Space Station after their launch on 25 June at 6:31 GMT / 8:31 CET . Sławosz served as a mission specialist during the journey.

Ax-4 is the second commercial human spaceflight mission with an ESA project astronaut. Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT) and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), this mission includes an ambitious technological and scientific programme.

During the Ignis mission, Sławosz will carry out 13 experiments proposed by Polish companies and institutions and developed together with ESA as well as three ESA experiments focused on bone health and muscle stimulation. Overall, the scientific experiments that he will conduct during his mission will cover five key domains: human research, materials science, biology, biotechnology and technology demonstrations.

The Ignis mission also includes a robust STEM education programme in Poland, featuring “Lessons from Space”, competitions, student designed experiments, teacher training and nationwide activities. The flagship “Key to Space” project will provide 10 000 schools with self-assembly kits to teach basic electronics and Morse code.

Latest updates on the Ignis mission can be found on X via @esaspaceflight and on ESA social media channels.

The return to Earth of the Ax-4 mission crew, led by Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, will begin no earlier than Monday, July 14, the Polish Space Agency announced. The Dragon capsule is scheduled to separate from the International Space Station at approximately 1:05 p.m. Polish time.