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Sławosz Uznański 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.