Ax-4 mission with Polish ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski

For this mission, ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski has been assigned as mission specialist under the command of Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. This flight will make Sławosz the second Pole to fly in space, and the first to go to the International Space Station. The assigned crew also includes pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India and mission specialist Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

The assigned Ax-4 crew is undergoing rigorous training at facilities worldwide, including ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Germany, as well as at facilities operated by Axiom Space, NASA and SpaceX in the USA, and JAXA in Japan, to equip them with the skills and knowledge needed for the mission.

Ax-4 will be the second commercial human spaceflight mission with an ESA project astronaut. Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, this mission includes an ambitious technological and scientific programme with several experiments proposed by Polish space industry and developed under the lead of ESA.

Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was selected as a member of the ESA Astronaut Reserve in November 2022. He became an ESA project astronaut on 1 September 2023 for training familiarisation in anticipation of flying on a future space mission.

Axiom Space Virtual Press ConferenceThursday 30 January, 16:00 CET / 09:00 CT

Participants include:

• Peggy Whitson, Ax-4 Commander, Axiom Space
• Shubhanshu Shukla, Ax-4 Pilot, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
• Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, Ax-4 Mission Specialist, European Space Agency (ESA)/Poland
• Tibor Kapu, Ax-4 Mission Specialist, Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR)

Registration

Media must register to participate in the press conference before 19:00 CET / 12:00 CT on 29 January. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the press conference.

Register here for the Ax-4 crew press conference: https://axiomspace.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wFyagYDMRnq3AY6qm9zgcQ

More Information

For media enquiries please contact media@esa.int .

Images

https://photolibrary.esa.int/collection/?sid=lbqqmnf3s

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Videos

https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos/2024/05/Slawosz_Uznanski_training

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About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space. 

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. 

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