The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topicSławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski during astronaut training inside the Columbus module mockup at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was selected in November 2022 as a member of the ESA astronaut reserve and joined ESA as a project astronaut on 1 September 2023 for training familiarisation at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. Now assigned to Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), he is undergoing an intensive training programme with the rest of the crew at Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX facilities in the United States, as well as JAXA in Japan, in preparation for his mission, scheduled for no earlier than spring 2025.
The Polish project astronaut is the second of a new generation of European astronauts to fly on a commercial human spaceflight opportunity with Axiom Space. Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission will include an ambitious technological and scientific programme with several experiments led by ESA and proposed by the Polish space industry.
Europe is teaming with a commercial space company to show how fast-track, short-duration missions can generate good science, outreach and education for a better life on Earth.