Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski: space is a bull's eye

Space turned out to be a bullseye for me – says Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, who is to fly into Earth's orbit on June 10. He admits that his participation in the mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is the result of consistency in choosing a career path and hard work. He will be the second Pole in space.

On the day he learned that he had been selected by the European Space Agency to join the ESA Astronaut Reserve (in November 2022), he said: "This is certainly one of the most important days of my life, but also a special moment for Polish science and Polish participation in space exploration."

Dr. Sławosz Uznański (today his surname is Uznański-Wiśniewski) revealed in an interview for "Business Insider": "I have been waiting for this program to open since 2008. I had been following the recruitment process since then, but I was too young to apply and I did not meet the criteria. When the eliminations were announced, I knew I would take part. I had all the necessary documents. So you could say I had been preparing for this competition for 13 years."

He then became a reserve astronaut, and in September 2023 he was given the status of an ESA project astronaut, i.e. assigned to a specific mission: Ax-4. Its launch is scheduled for Tuesday, June 10 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (USA).

Later, Uznański-Wiśniewski often joked that he was born to explore space. He was born on April 12, 1984 – the 23rd anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's first space flight. "Every birthday, my mother wished me all the best for Cosmonaut Day," he recalled at a press conference in April this year.

However, it was primarily his iron determination that led him to training and practice before his flight into orbit. After graduating from the Lodz University of Technology (electronics and telecommunications), he took up space technologies – building integrated circuits for the space industry. Later, at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland, where he worked since 2011, he specialized in designing electronic systems resistant to radiation.

He believes that his victory in the ESA competition, in which he beat 22.5 thousand candidates, was also due to his versatility. "I am an engineer, I spent my entire career at CERN. And in my private time I like to travel, be on glaciers, conquer high peaks, sail. So my profile is quite complete," he emphasized on RMF radio.

The father of the Polish astronaut, Piotr Uznański, said in the "Dziennik Łódzki": "Over time, the Alps were not enough for him, so he went to the Himalayas. The Himalayas were no longer enough for him either, and he sought his happiness higher up."

The Polish Space Agency (POLSA) website states that the tests for ESA astronaut candidates included "the ability to solve complex, non-standard problems under time pressure, mental resilience and maintaining composure under stress."

Uznański-Wiśniewski elaborated on this description in various interviews. The candidates were tested for spatial orientation, motor and visual memory. They had to pass math, physical and English language tests. They had reflexes tested on a flight simulator, communication skills, and were observed by psychologists and psychiatrists.

"I did everything I could to move on, I prepared thoroughly before each next stage to maximize my chances," he confessed in an interview for Business Insider.

In an interview with PAP two weeks before the launch, he spoke about his participation in the mission: "I'm interested in everything: the operation of the capsule, the rocket that will take it into orbit, the space station. Besides, I have the soul of an explorer, I like to set off into the unknown, so space is the greatest challenge."

The European Space Agency is clearly pleased that Uznański-Wiśniewski won the competition. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher complimented him at a December 2024 press conference: "Since his selection about a year and a half ago, Sławosz has become a brightly shining star."

At that time, the Polish astronaut had already had many months of preparation behind him, and more were still ahead of him. The training covered, among other things, life support systems in the Dragon capsule, which the Ax-4 crew would fly into orbit, trajectory, power supply and communication.

Observing how his colleague Marcus Wandt was doing in orbit proved to be invaluable help for the Pole. The Swede took part in the Ax-3 mission in 2024, which was also co-organized by ESA. "I watched him on camera for two weeks. I saw what he did every day and went through the procedures with him. I was lucky to experience a space mission before my flight," Uznański-Wiśniewski revealed in an interview with PAP a year ago.

He admitted that he has some concerns before flying into space. "Of course, being an astronaut is risky. The risk of death for an astronaut is about 3-4 percent. I can handle risk quite well, but I try to estimate that risk," he said.

He noted that astronauts are prepared for all possibilities. "A much larger part of the training is preparation for situations that may surprise us. Of course, we expect that this knowledge will never be useful to us and that we will only be dealing with the scenario of everyday work in orbit," Dr. Uznański-Wiśniewski explained to PAP in April this year.

As part of their daily duties, mission members will conduct over 60 scientific experiments on board the ISS, including 13 prepared by Polish institutions.

PAP also asked how Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski imagines his career after returning to Earth. The astronaut admitted that he is not entirely sure yet, but he will definitely engage in educational activities for a few months. "I will give lectures at universities. I intend to visit all Polish technical universities and maybe a few medical universities," he declared. He admitted that there is a place waiting for him at CERN (when he started preparing for the Ax-4 mission, he took an unpaid leave).

Asked in a conversation with "Dziennik Gazeta Prawna" (DGP) in mid-May whether he was thinking about flying to the Moon and further, to Mars, he replied: "I set myself big goals, successive work has led me to where I am today. No one will stop me from dreaming..."

For now, however, he dreams primarily of a honeymoon, because he has not had time for it since he married humanitarian activist and KO MP Aleksandra Wiśniewska on January 2nd of this year. On Polsat, the newlyweds said that their wedding rings, made from a meteorite and a bullet from Aleksandra's humanitarian missions, will fly into orbit with the Polish astronaut.

Regardless of his future plans, Uznański-Wiśniewski is aware that after returning from space, nothing will be the same for him. "My life will change. But I would like to use this flight to popularize science and space. I have the impression that engineers and scientists are rarely publicly recognized in Poland - they are neither celebrities nor authorities. It is extremely important for the younger generation to have a role model and a person to imitate from the world of science and to strive to follow in their footsteps," he noted in an interview for DGP.

At a press conference in April, he argued: "Today I represent Poland and an entire generation of Poles - scientists, teachers, students. All those who contribute to the development of science at the local and global level. We want to show that space is not just for the greatest, but for everyone."

The international crew of the Ax-4, apart from the Pole, includes: Peggy Whitson (USA) – commander, Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – pilot and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – specialist.

The Ax-4 mission will be the fourth commercial expedition carried out by Axiom Space. The participation of a Pole in it is the result of an agreement signed between the Ministry of Development and Technology and ESA for the preparation and conduct of the Polish technological and scientific mission IGNIS to the ISS. The Polish Space Agency (POLSA) as the executive agency of the Ministry of Technology and Technology is also involved in the preparations. Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski will be the second Pole in space after Mirosław Hermaszewski.

Science in Poland, Anna Bugajska (PAP)

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