A Pole flies into space! Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski takes off with the Ax-4 mission

Today begins a new chapter in Polish history – not in the Sejm, not on the pitch, but beyond the boundaries of the atmosphere. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski will soar into space at 8:31 AM Polish time!

On June 25, 2025, at precisely 8:31 a.m. Polish time , the Falcon 9 rocket with the Ax-4 mission will be launched from the spaceport in Florida. On board is the first Pole in the history of the International Space Station: Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski – scientist, engineer, dreamer.

Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski is a 41-year-old engineer, scientist and project astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA) . He comes from Łódź, is a graduate of the Łódź University of Technology and French universities: Université de Nantes and Université d'Aix-Marseille. For many years he worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), where, among other things, he was responsible for the control systems of the Large Hadron Collider.

In 2023, he was officially announced as a member of the Ax-4 mission crew. He underwent intensive training at ESA, NASA and SpaceX centers. As an ESA project astronaut, he was selected from over 22.5 thousand candidates from all over Europe.

The selection for the Axiom Mission 4 crew was the result of grueling training at ESA, NASA and SpaceX . In this game for the stars, what mattered was: steel character, the highest technical competence and iron discipline. And Sławosz had all of that. And more.

Sławosz Uznański - Wiśniewski / Getty Images

The Polish element of the Ax-4 mission is called "Ignis" - Latin for "fire". Symbolically and literally, because Sławosz will heat up not only the rocket engines, but also the imagination of millions of Poles.

It will spend several days on board the ISS, carrying out 13 ESA scientific experiments, 30 educational shows, communication sessions with schools and research institutions, as well as promoting Polish scientific potential on the global stage. Its presence in orbit is a breakthrough event not only for science, but also for our identity – as a country.

Sławosz's private life is also written like a movie script. His wife, Aleksandra Uznańska-Wiśniewska, is a member of parliament for the Civic Coalition, winner of "Forbes 25 under 25", political scientist and daughter of a well-known businessman from the fashion industry. The couple got married in early 2025, just a few months before the launch of the space mission.

A Falcon 9 rocket being prepared for launch on June 25, 2025 / Getty Images

The Ax-4 mission with Crew Dragon C213 will lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on June 25. The launch window opens at 8:31 a.m. Polish time, and the broadcast will be available live on the SpaceX and Axiom Space channels starting at 6:30 a.m.

This is the first time a Polish citizen will take part in a manned mission to the International Space Station. Earlier, in 1978, Mirosław Hermaszewski flew into space – as part of the Soyuz 30 mission – but he did not visit the ISS, which did not exist at that time.