There is a new launch date for the Ax-4 mission; the Pole will fly into space on June 10

The launch of the Ax-4 mission with Pole Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski to the International Space Station (ISS) will take place on Tuesday, June 10, Axiom Space announced on Tuesday.

The exact planned launch time of the mission is 8:23 local time (14:23 in Poland). The astronauts will fly a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (USA). The rocket will carry the Dragon capsule into orbit, which will then reach the ISS.

This is the second time the mission has been rescheduled. The launch was originally scheduled for May 29, but was postponed until June 8.

The reason given for the date change was problems with the Dragon capsule.

"The capsule failed the standard pre-launch test. During this test, the insulation strength of the devices is checked, among other things. If the cables fail this inspection, we have to replace them with new ones and test them again. This cost us several days. Then we also encountered a problem with the parachutes. The ones we planned to install in the capsule failed the inspection just before assembly. We detected traces of moisture in the bags in which they were packed, so we had to replace the entire set," explained the Dragon mission manager, Sarah Walker from SpaceX.

Ax-4 will be the fourth commercial manned expedition carried out by Axiom Space. The participation of the Pole in this mission is the result of an agreement signed between the Ministry of Development and Technology and ESA for the preparation and conduct of the Polish scientific and technological mission IGNIS to the ISS. The Polish Space Agency (POLSA) is also involved in the preparations.

The Ax-4 mission consists of: Peggy Whitson (USA) – commander; Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland/ESA) – specialist; Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – pilot and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – specialist. The astronauts are to spend 14 days on the station.

As part of the Polish technological and scientific mission IGNIS, 13 experiments will be conducted in orbit, which include medicine, biology, biotechnology and engineering sciences. Several periods have also been planned during which the Polish astronaut will make calls to domestic shortwave operators.

Uznański-Wiśniewski will also conduct shows in space, which will be recorded and later used as part of the educational program. The classes will cover, among others, Newton's cradle in zero gravity (a row of several identical steel balls in contact with each other, which can only oscillate in one plane; the device illustrates the principle of conservation of momentum and energy) and the operation of simple electrical systems (e.g. a telegraph key).

The astronaut will take with him to the ISS, among other things, Polish flags, including a patch from Mirosław Hermaszewski's spacesuit, memorabilia of Maria Skłodowska-Curie, a map from Nicolaus Copernicus' work "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" ("On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres"), a lump of salt from Wieliczka and a piece of Polish amber. Also sent into orbit will be a manuscript of Fryderyk Chopin's mazurka, three poems by Wisława Szymborska, a lace from the regional costume of the Łódź region from the Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw, Polish letters (ą, ć, ę, ł etc.) printed in 3D, and emblems and a poster of the mission.

Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski will be the second Pole in space - after Mirosław Hermaszewski. (PAP)

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