"The year 2023, marking the 550th birth anniversary of Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, witnessed a truly Copernican revolution in space technologies in Poland,” the statement reads.
POLSA notes that its responsibilities throughout the past year included identifying priority development directions, providing specifications for the construction of Polish satellites, and launching preparations for the mission of a Polish astronaut encompassing the experiments he will carry out in orbit.
"Due to a substantial increase in the budget allocated to projects within the European Space Agency (ESA), Poland has advanced to the top 7 member countries," said POLSA President Prof. Grzegorz Wrochna, as quoted by the PAP news agency.
"This also unlocks the potential for Poland's significant involvement in key missions and projects led by ESA, including both scientific and exploratory initiatives," he added.
In August, Poland signed an agreement with ESA and US space company Axiom Space on a mission to the International Space Station.
The move came after Poland increased its financial contribution to ESA by EUR 295 million last year.
Poland's Development and Technology Ministry announced at the time that scientist Sławosz Uznański would fly into space on a European space mission, becoming Poland's second astronaut after the late Mirosław Hermaszewski, who took part in an eight-day Soviet space mission in 1978.
In September, Uznański was admitted at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany where he has been undergoing tests and daily training for a potential space mission.
In November 2022, the Pole was selected as a reserve astronaut for ESA, following a recruitment process that attracted over 22,000 applicants from ESA member countries.
(mo)
Source: PAP
