A abrupt turn on a Pole's flight into space. NASA halts Ax-4 mission launch

Start of the Ax-4 mission Sławomir Uznański-Wiśniewski He was expected to fly on International Space Station, was moved again. NASA stated that it needed additional time to measure the stableness of ISS systems after the failure in the Russian module. This is another turn in the case, which was to be a historical minute for Polish astronautics.

Uznański-Wiśniewski on standby, but mission halted

Initially, it was assumed that the flight will take place on 29 MayHowever, since then the deadline has been changed respective times. The reasons were different: from bad weatherby Technical problems with Falcon 9 rocket, until the last major malfunction on the side of the space station.

According to NASA, in the module Convents, belonging to the Russian ISS segment, occurred air leak, which caused pressure decrease. Although the harm has already been repaired, the American agency has not yet decided to set a fresh flight date. The authoritative communication states that "all systems must operate in full sync” before the station accepts fresh crew members.

Against the background of geopolitical tensions and uncertainty around SpaceX

Not only method aspects affect the situation. There were besides political controversy related to Elon Muskwhich company SpaceX liable for the capsule Crew Dragon. It's this vehicle that's expected to take 4 astronauts into orbit.

Musk in fresh weeks publicly declared the anticipation of limiting cooperation with NASAWhich active his tense relation with the erstwhile president of the United States, Donald Trump. Although it is hard to talk of a direct threat to the Ax-4 mission, specified signals are not without impact on the atmosphere around the full project.

It is worth reminding that the crew of Ax-4 includes:

Peggy Whitson – erstwhile NASA astronaut, Mission Commander
Shubhanshu Shukli – pilot from India
Tibor Kapu – an astronaut from Hungary
Sławomir Uznański-Wiśniewski – Polish representative, prepared for the historical flight to the ISS

Polish mission of symbolic importance

For Poland, participation in the Ax-4 mission is simply a breakthrough moment. Uznański-Wiśniewski would be the first PoleWho would find himself aboard the global Space Station. Though he had previously stayed in space Mirosław Hermaszewski (1978), mission Ax-4 symbolizes new phase of Polish presence in global space programmes.

Uznański-Wiśniewski, physicist and engineer associated with European Space Agency (ESA), was selected from over 22,000 candidates and underwent advanced training in flight preparation. It has been in operational readiness for months, waiting for a green light from NASA and SpaceX partners.

What's next? NASA is silent, the observers are waiting

According to fresh information, NASA has not yet set a fresh launch date for the Ax-4 mission. Communications only mention "coming days” in which a decision is to be taken on the basis of the current assessment of the ISS method condition. Results are key inspection of the Russian segmentwhose stableness after repairs is inactive under analysis.

Experts point out that International Space Station is simply a complex strategy of cooperation between many agencies, including NASA, ESA, Roskosmos and JAXA. Any major disruption requires multilateral coordination and can lead to crucial delays in the timetable.

Expert comment: stableness more crucial than deadline

According to space analysts, NASA's decision to halt the mission – although disappointing for observers – demonstrates the precedence of crew safety. all manned mission carries risks that agencies effort to minimize, even at the expense of delays.

The Polish technological community and the media closely follow developments, hoping that Uznański-Wiśniewski will shortly begin his mission. Meanwhile, it remains to await NASA's authoritative announcement of the date and further advancement in ISS state analysis.

Perspective: a chance for Poland but a question mark

Although the current situation does not straight endanger Polish participation in the mission, it shows how many factors There's a modern astronaut. From the method state of the station, to the stableness of global relations, to interior tensions in companies that carry out space projects — any of these elements can affect the success of the mission.

For Poland it is simply a test not only technological, but besides institutional — showing whether our country can function effectively in ESA structures, support its astronauts and participate in multilateral technological projects.

Faced with a dynamic situation, 1 thing is certain: the Ax-4 mission remains most crucial event in the past of Polish participation in manned flights, regardless of the exact start date.