Marcus Wandt from Sweden, left, and Sławosz Uznański from Poland, right, during a visit to Axiom Space’s Mission Control Center in Houston, USA, in 2024.

A year ago, Marcus became the first of a new generation of European astronauts to arrive to the International Space Station on a commercial spaceflight with Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3). Sławosz is now scheduled to fly to the same destination on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) no earlier than spring 2025.

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.

Marcus and Sławosz first met when they became two of the 17 members of the new ESA astronaut class chosen from over 22 500 applicants from across ESA Member States in November 2022.

Sławosz saw Marcus launching to space from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and then spent the duration of his three-week mission, called Muninn, in the Columbus Control Centre in Germany. Both project astronauts have been assigned the role of mission specialists.

This was a unique opportunity for Sławosz to experience fully his fellow project astronaut’s mission while working full shifts next to operators on consoles, taking part in conferences with astronauts and observing a similar short-term mission to the one he will take part in, called Ignis.

Marcus Wandt spent 20 days in orbit conducting microgravity research, technology demonstrations and educational activities with the support of ESA and the Swedish National Space Agency.

Sławosz Uznański is currently following an intensive training programme to adapt to the challenges of living and working in space at Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX facilities in the USA, as well as at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. The Ignis mission includes an ambitious technological and scientific programme, supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA).

These short-duration flights are also a first step to prepare for the commercialisation of low Earth orbit in a future without the International Space Station. Using commercial companies to get access to orbit in record time is a very efficient way of running more European science in space.