Poland can into space! Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski to dock with Pyrkon

There are stories that would have sounded like the script of a heavily subsidized science fiction film until recently. A Polish engineer, scientist, electronic systems specialist working on one of the world’s most important research infrastructures, goes into the European Space Agency’s astronautics program, then flies into orbit and visits the International Space Station? It sounds unbelievable, and yet it really happened.

In 2025, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, a Polish ESA project astronaut, went down in history as the second Pole to fly in space and the first Pole to board the International Space Station. During the Axiom-4 mission, he carried out experiments as part of the ESA IGNIS mission, adding his own chapter to the history of the Polish presence in space.

During Pyrkon, you will meet him in the Science Zone, and not just once. You will be able to hear him speak both in a solo lecture and during a unique Q&A with Eileen Collins. This is one of those meetings where the term “out of this world” is not a metaphor.

The second Pole in space, the first Pole on the ISS

From Łódź through France and CERN to the European Space Agency

Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski’s journey to space did not begin with a spacesuit, but with electronics, engineering and science of the highest caliber. He comes from Łódź, where in 2008 he graduated with honours from the Technical University of Łódź, obtaining a master’s degree in engineering. In the same year, he also obtained diplomas in France. First at the University of Nantes, and then at the Technical University of Nantes. A few years later, in 2011, he defended his doctorate with distinction at the University of Aix-Marseille.

From the beginning, his specialization was related to the technologies needed where the margin of error must be minimal. He dealt with the design of electronic systems with high reliability, including the impact of radiation on electronic systems. He is the author of a book devoted to this issue and co-author of over fifty scientific and conference articles.

For years, he worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN. A place that in itself sounds like a location from a science fiction novel or film, and at the same time is one of the most important research centers in the world and a lifelong dream of a whole host of scientists. He participated in the maintenance and operation of a huge scientific infrastructure, including the Large Hadron Collider. One of his most important projects was the implementation of a power control system, which has been an essential part of the LHC since 2017.

At the same time, he remained close to the space sector. He gave lectures on space systems design, organized workshops between CERN and NASA, cooperated with the private sector and reviewed commercial satellite projects and projects related to the Polish space sector, such as PW-SAT2, HyperSat or EagleEye.

This path through science, engineering, electronics, satellite projects and research infrastructure eventually led him to the European Space Agency. This shows that a great flight is always preceded by a huge number of previous decisions, competences and consistently built knowledge.

A meeting that brings NASA and ESA together

These meetings will be an opportunity to hear about the journey from the laboratory and engineering projects to Earth’s orbit, work on the International Space Station and what modern space exploration looks like through the eyes of a man who has become part of its history.

So if you want to hear the story of a mission that went down in the history of Polish science and take part in a unique meeting of NASA and ESA astronauts, be sure to come to the Science Zone. It is not often that space is so close you can almost touch it.