Krzysztof Karwowski, Julia Lasiota, Ksawery Stawiński
The Institute of New Europe and its leadership, research team, and interns congratulate the Polish astronaut on this historic achievement for Poland and wish him a well-deserved rest!
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, an engineer, scientist (PhD in electronics), and ESA project astronaut, became the second citizen of Poland in space and the first to work aboard the International Space Station (ISS) [1]. His mission was made possible thanks to the efforts of the POLSA Polish Space Agency, the Ministry of Development and Technology (MRIT), and international cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA, and the private spaceflight company Axiom Space [2].
The Mission
The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) started on 25 June 2025 at 8:32 a.m. (CET) following a series of technical and weather-related delays [2]. The Crew Dragon capsule named “Grace” docked successfully to the station’s Harmony module the next day at 12:32 p.m. (CET), after a 28-hour flight from Florida. An autonomous undocking occurred on 14 July at 13:10 (CET) after 20 days (18 docking days on the ISS and two in-flight days), followed by a safe atmospheric re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific [3]. Landing date: 15 July 2025 at 11:32 (CET) [4].
Thirteen Polish experiments were selected through a competitive call for proposals involving state universities, research and implementation institutes, and private companies from the rapidly growing aerospace sector. Research sessions aboard the ISS took place for eight hours a day. According to POLSA, the remainder of the day was filled with communal meals, private time, and mandatory physical exercises needed to maintain muscle health in orbital conditions. Nighttime aboard the ISS lasts from 21:30 to 6:00 GMT [5] [6].
As part of the IGNIS mission, Uznański-Wiśniewski conducted 13 experiments in the European laboratory module “Columbus.” Thanks to dedicated educational communication slots allocated by Axiom, he also connected with Earth on four occasions [7]:
On 2 July (Wednesday), a live lesson from orbit was held in Łódź, the astronaut’s hometown, hosted by the EC1 Science and Technology Center in Łódź.
On 4 July (Friday), another session was held in Wrocław, hosted by the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Wrocław and the ARISS amateur radio association.
On 5 July (Saturday), the meeting was organized in Rzeszów, hosted by the Rectorate of Rzeszów University of Technology. The event was accompanied by a science picnic hosted by the companies and institutions from the nearby Aviation Valley Association (Podkarpacka Dolina Lotnicza).
On 8 July (Tuesday), the last session was held in Warsaw, hosted by the Copernicus Science Centre.
All sessions were also broadcast live on YouTube.
Legacy and Measurable Impact [2]
The IGNIS mission is expected to bring a wide range of positive effects on both the Polish economy and the scientific community. The most important—if properly leveraged—will be the research and development stimulus. Polish institutions and companies successfully met the organisational demands of executing the mission, collaborating with international agencies (ISRO, ESA, NASA, JAXA), and delivering results with Axiom Space as the commercial partner [1]. The astronaut’s professional working time was filled with research activities, many of which had dual-use potential [1] [5].
| Number of space companies (2024) | GDP % (2024) | Projected GDP % (2030) | Sectoral value (€) | |
| Poland | 300-400 | 0.014 | 0.05 | 69 million |
| EU | 10000+ | 0.05 | 1-1.5 | 11.9 billion |
Tab. 1. Space economies of Poland and the European Union (by INE, data: EuroSpace, EUSPA)
Economically, the mission enabled the commercialization of technologies developed by Polish space-sector companies and allowed them to earn vital “flight heritage”—operational experience in orbital conditions, which is essential for global aerospace supply chains. “Flight heritage” acts as a form of credibility pass in the demanding and highly exclusive space industry. Poland’s participation in the ISS mission improved the international credibility of domestic firms, helping them win new contracts in the defense, precision, and high-tech industries. Furthermore, the development of engineering competencies and involvement in component manufacturing led to knowledge transfer into other branches of the economy [1] [2].
On the scientific front, the mission enabled the execution of Polish-developed, competitively selected experiments whose results will contribute to domestic research in medicine, biotechnology, neuropsychology, materials science, and artificial intelligence. Polish universities and research teams gained access to the unique environment of microgravity, which will translate into new scientific publications, international partnerships, and participation in future ESA projects [2] [8].
In the long term, the IGNIS mission is expected to promote science, increase interest in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) among young people, and strengthen Poland’s role as an active participant in European space policy [2] [9].
Conclusion
The IGNIS mission is more than a scientific endeavor or a spectacular journey of a Polish astronaut to the ISS. It is both a symbolic and practical step toward reinforcing Poland’s position in the increasingly complex global competition for technological and geostrategic dominance in outer space. The involvement of Polish research entities in the ISS program and the Axiom’s mission strengthens their standing within international scientific consortia and enhances their prospects for future ESA or NASA missions [10].
But IGNIS is also a political and industrial project. It aligns perfectly with Poland’s long-term goal of building an innovative, sustainable, and resilient aerospace and defense sector. In recent years, this sector has seen dynamic growth in regions such as the Warsaw metropolitan area (PIAP, Institute of Aviation, ITWL), Piaseczno (Creotech), and Wrocław (Thorium). These hubs are producing satellite platforms (sat buses), space robotics, AI-based solutions, and components for Earth observation and defense systems [2] [11]. What was once reserved for the largest superpowers, through missions like IGNIS, becomes part of Poland’s national industrial momentum, bringing with it new know-how, contracts, and prestige.
It is worth emphasizing that the space race in Asia, with the increasing activity of China, India, Japan, and South Korea, makes it clear: countries that fail to develop their own cosmic capabilities will be relegated to a peripheral role, not just in development of advanced civil and military technologies but also in global politics [12]. As a medium-sized European nation with significant human capital and industrial potential, Poland must seize every opportunity to strengthen its presence in this emerging geostrategic domain [10] [11]. In the 21st century, space is no longer the exclusive realm of great powers; it is now also the stage for ambitious middle players that recognize space access as synonymous with technological sovereignty, information advantage, and access to future markets [13] [14].
The IGNIS mission demonstrates that Poland is ready to take an active role in this transformation. It marks a new beginning—not just for engineering schools and laboratories, but also for policymakers. It shows that medium-sized countries can have space ambitions and translate them into applied results [15]. In a world where orbit is the new ocean, Poland has just completed its first voyage. It should not be a one-time journey, and Sławosz should not be its only captain in this century.
Sources:
[1] Karwowski, K. & Układ Sił (2025). Lot Sławosza Uznańskiego-Wiśniewskiego i rozwój sektora kosmicznego w Polsce. Retrieved on 2.07.2025 from https://ukladsil.pl/wyscig-technologiczny/lot-slawosza-uznanskiego-wisniewskiego-i-rozwoj-sektora-kosmicznego-w-polsce
[2] Karwowski, K. & Lasiota, J. (2025). Polak w kosmosie. Szansa dla Polski – przemysł kosmiczny, nauka, edukacja. Retrieved on 2.07.2025 from https://ine.org.pl/polak-w-kosmosie-szansa-dla-polski-przemysl-kosmiczny-nauka-edukacja/
[3] Axiom Space. Ax-4 Mission Blog. Retrieved on 2.07.2025 from https://www.axiomspace.com/category/ax4-mission
[4] MRIT. IGNIS – pierwsza polska misja na Międzynarodową Stację Kosmiczną. Retrieved on 3.07.2025 from https://www.gov.pl/web/rozwoj-technologia/ignis–pierwsza-polska-misja-na-miedzynarodowa-stacje-kosmiczna
[5] POLSA. Misja IGNIS. Pobrano 26.05.2025 z https://polsa.gov.pl/wydarzenia/ignis/
[6] POLSA. Polski astronauta rozpoczął misję IGNIS na Międzynarodowej Stacji Kosmicznej. Retrieved on 3.07.2025 from https://polsa.gov.pl/wydarzenia/polski-astronauta-rozpoczal-misje-ignis-na-miedzynarodowej-stacji-kosmicznej/
[7] PLinSpace. IGNIS. Retrieved on 3.07.2025 from https://plinspace.pl/
[8] Polsat (2025). „Dziejowa szansa dla nas w Polsce”. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski o locie w kosmos. Retrieved on 3.07.2025 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmVuJPveQrY&ab_channel=polsatnews.pl
[9] Rożek, T. & Nauka. To Lubię. (2025). Dlaczego nie dowozimy? Retrieved on 3.07.2025 from z https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeHCM4eHsuw&ab_channel=Nauka.ToLubi%C4%99
[10] Karwowski, K. & Lasiota, J. (2025). Trump a kosmos. Nowa domena polityki USA? Retrieved on 3.07.2025 from https://ine.org.pl/trump-a-kosmos-nowa-domena-polityki-usa/
[11] Stawiński, K. (2025). Polski przemysł kosmiczny w świetle potrzeb Wojska Polskiego Retrieved on 3.07.2025 from https://ine.org.pl/polski-przemysl-kosmiczny-w-swietle-potrzeb-wojska-polskiego/
[12] Karwowski, K. (2024). Chińska dyplomacja kosmiczna. Otwarta – ale czy dla wszystkich? Retrieved on 3.07.2025 from https://ine.org.pl/chinska-dyplomacja-kosmiczna-otwarta-ale-czy-dla-wszystkich/ dostęp: 2025/07/02
[13] Poprawa, M. (2023). Rola państw małych w globalnej polityce kosmicznej. Retrieved on 5.07.2025 from https://ine.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Rola-panstw-malych-w-globalnej-polityce-kosmicznej-1.pdf
[14] Banasiak, M. (2022). Polska w kosmosie: co już mamy i co możemy mieć? Retrieved on 5.07.2025 from https://ine.org.pl/polska-w-kosmosie-co-juz-mamy-i-co-mozemy-miec/
[15] SGH (2025). Rozmowy o kosmosie [7] Polski astronauta w kosmosie – misja IGNIS urzeczywistnia się. Retrieved on 5.07.2025 from www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9WTfHX75C8&list=PLED2KqSSukba5-9DXeE2GvhzetRMh-
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