Historic Liftoff! Poland's "Star Scientist" Launches on SpaceX Dragon-All the Inside Details on the Ax-4 Mission, Crew and Experiments
- On June 25 at 08:31 CEST, SpaceX Crew Dragon “Grace” launched from Pad 39A with four astronauts on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4).
- Peggy Whitson (USA) commands Ax-4 and is on her fifth spaceflight, with a U.S. orbital record of 675 days.
- Shubhanshu Shukla (India) is Pilot for Ax-4, becoming the first Indian in space since 1984.
- Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland) is the first Polish national on the ISS and the second Pole in space.
- Tibor Kapu (Hungary) is Ax-4’s Mission Specialist, marking Hungary’s first visitor to the ISS.
- Poland’s 47-year space drought ends with Ax-4, following Mirosław Hermaszewski’s 1978 Soyuz 30 mission.
- Uznański-Wiśniewski was born April 12, 1984, is an electronics and radiation-hardened systems engineer at CERN, and was selected as Poland’s Project Astronaut in 2022.
- IGNIS carries 13 experiments on Ax-4’s ~60-experiment manifest, including SpaceRadMon-NG from CERN, SigmaLabs, AstroMentalHealth, micro-algae bioreactors, and tardigrade resilience studies.
- The mission timeline includes launch on June 25, orbital insertion after 9 minutes, autonomous rendezvous on June 26 around 13:00, hatch opening around 15:10, a 14-day research program June 26–July 10, with splashdown targeted around July 11.
- SpaceRadMon-NG will beam down ISS radiation maps within 72 hours, while Hungary disclosed $100 million funding for Ax-4 as part of the commercial-orbit effort.
1. Why today’s flight matters
At 02:31 EDT (08:31 CEST) a brand-new SpaceX Crew Dragon christened Grace roared off pad 39A, carrying four astronauts on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4)—and with them the dreams of three nations returning to human space-flight after more than four decades. Among the passengers is Dr Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, who just became the second Pole ever—and the first Polish national on the ISS. wiadomosci.onet.pl reuters.com
2. The multinational crew at a glance
| Role | Name | Nation | Notable fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commander | Peggy Whitson | USA | 5th spaceflight; 675 days in orbit – a U.S. record reuters.com |
| Pilot | Shubhanshu Shukla | India | First Indian in space since 1984 indiatimes.com |
| Mission Specialist | Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski | Poland | CERN engineer; 41 yrs old; first Pole on ISS home.cern polskieradio.pl |
| Mission Specialist | Tibor Kapu | Hungary | Hungary’s first visitor to ISS theguardian.com |
“We’ve had an incredible ride uphill.”
— Cmdr. Peggy Whitson over SpaceX mission control moments after reaching orbit reuters.com
3. A Polish comeback 47 years in the making
- Poland’s only previous space-traveller was Mirosław Hermaszewski aboard Soyuz 30 in 1978; Ax-4 ends that drought. polskieradio.pl
- Watching from Warsaw’s Copernicus Science Centre, Prime Minister Donald Tusk enthused: “We’ve got this! Poland has reached for the stars.” theguardian.com
- ESA Director-General Josef Aschbacher called Uznański a “bright star” for European space ambitions. warsawpoint.com
4. Who is Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski?
| Key facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Birth | 12 Apr 1984 – Cosmonaut Day! |
| Background | Electronics & radiation-hardened systems engineer at CERN; helped develop SpaceRadMon-NG radiation monitor now riding with him. home.cern |
| ESA status | Selected as Project Astronaut (Polish reserve) in 2022; tapped for Ax-4 in Aug 2024. esa.int |
| Training | Mastered Dragon life-support, ISS ops and emergency scenarios; shadowed Sweden’s Marcus Wandt during Ax-3. warsawpoint.com |
| Fun fact | Packed freeze-dried pierogi and his meteorite-inlaid wedding rings for the trip. wiadomosci.onet.pl |
5. Science payload: why IGNIS matters
Poland brands its ISS contribution IGNIS—13 experiments embedded in Ax-4’s ~60-experiment manifest. Highlights:
- SpaceRadMon-NG mini-dosimeter from CERN and Polish start-up SigmaLabs to map ISS radiation hot-spots. home.cern
- AstroMentalHealth video-diary study of astronaut psychology led by Dr Agnieszka Skorupa (University of Silesia). wiadomosci.onet.pl
- Micro-algae bioreactors and tardigrade resilience studies coordinated by ESA for advanced life-support. theguardian.com
6. Flight plan & what happens next
| Event | Time (CEST) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | 25 Jun 08:31 | wiadomosci.onet.pl |
| Dragon “Grace” orbital insertion | T+9 min | reuters.com |
| Autonomous rendezvous | 26 Jun ~13:00 | nasa.gov |
| Hatch opening & welcome | 26 Jun ~15:10 | wiadomosci.onet.pl |
| 14-day research programme | 26 Jun – 10 Jul | reuters.com |
| Splash-down off Florida | ~11 Jul (target) | NASA mission timeline nasa.gov |
NASA TV, Axiom Space and SpaceX will stream docking coverage from 05:00 CEST Thursday. nasa.gov
7. The bigger picture: commercial orbit, political drama
- Axiom Space is using these charter flights to pave the way for a private ISS successor; modules begin arriving in 2028. reuters.com
- Launch slipped six times amid an online spat between Elon Musk and U.S. president Donald Trump, who threatened to cancel federal contracts. theguardian.com
- All three governments paid for their seats; Hungary disclosed $100 million; Poland and India remain mum. theguardian.com
8. Expert voices
| Expert | Quote | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Peggy Whitson (Ax-4 Commander) | “Incredible ride uphill.” reuters.com | Testament to Dragon’s flawless ascent. |
| Josef Aschbacher (ESA DG) | Uznański is a “bright star” for Europe. warsawpoint.com | Signals ESA’s support for smaller member states. |
| Dr Agnieszka Skorupa (AstroMentalHealth) | Will analyse facial emotion and language “to understand isolation in space.” wiadomosci.onet.pl | Shows depth of Poland’s scientific agenda. |
| Donald Tusk (Polish PM) | “Poland has reached for the stars.” theguardian.com | Captures national pride. |
9. What to watch for
- Radiation data drop: SpaceRadMon-NG will beam down its first ISS radiation maps within 72 hours.
- Prime-ministerial calls: Narendra Modi and Donald Tusk are both scheduled to hold live ISS calls next week. theguardian.com
- Return leg: Dragon Grace must survive a blazing re-entry and Atlantic splash-down—always the mission’s riskiest phase.
Bottom line
Ax-4 is more than a joy-ride for a quartet of national heroes; it is a dress rehearsal for a post-ISS future where commercial stations, emerging space nations and seasoned explorers share the same orbit. With pierogi, micro-algae and a radiation monitor aboard, Poland’s star scientist embodies that future—and, judging by today’s flawless launch, the future has already begun.
