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

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. 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.

The launch and successful docking of the Axiom 4 mission highlights the commitment of ESA to support its Member States and their ambitions. We worked in close collaboration with Poland to support the implementation of innovative scientific payloads which will support the growth of its national technological expertise while highlighting the country’s capabilities in space exploration. I am proud of the incredible work performed by our teams that underlines, once again, the ability of ESA to deliver,” says ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander.

The official name of the Polish technological and scientific mission to the International Space Station is ‘Ignis’.

What’s next?

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.  

Follow Sławosz’s journey on the Ignis website, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

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

ESA’s Photo Library for Professionals:

https://www.esa-photolibrary.com/

Terms and conditions for using ESA images

For questions or more information related to ESA images, please contact directly spaceinimages@esa.int

ESA’s Video Library for Professionals:

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos

Terms and conditions for using ESA videos

For questions or more information related to ESA videos, please contact directly spaceinvideos@esa.int

Follow ESA on:

X: @esa 

Bluesky: @esa

Facebook: @EuropeanSpaceAgency 

Instagram: @europeanspaceagency 

YouTube: ESA 

LinkedIn: European Space Agency - ESA 

Pinterest: European Space Agency - ESA 

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.  

ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members.  

ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.  

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.  

Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int