Aleš Svoboda on track to become first Czech aboard the ISS

Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda is on track to become the first Czech citizen to visit the International Space Station. The European Space Agency has signed an agreement with the US space company VAST that could see him fly to the ISS next year, and take on the key role of pilot.

Aleš Svoboda|Photo: Martin Pařízek, Czech Radio

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš announced the news on Monday, saying Aleš Svoboda is expected to fly to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft next year. According to Svoboda, the pilot role is one of the most significant aspects of the mission.

“The fact that the Czech Republic will have the role of pilot within the crew is absolutely crucial. There are only around two dozen Crew Dragon pilots in the world, and, as far as I know, only two of them are from Europe.”

Unlike other crew members, the pilot is directly involved in operating the spacecraft and requires much more extensive training, he says:

Aleš Svoboda|Photo: Martin Pařízek, Czech Radio

“The training will take place primarily in the United States and will involve preparation with SpaceX, NASA, and other partner organizations. SpaceX is responsible because it provides the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, so a large part of the training will take place at its facilities. NASA is involved because its astronaut training centre in Houston, Texas, is where astronauts are trained on the various modules of the ISS.”

Svoboda says the agreement between the European Space Agency and VAST is one of the biggest milestones of the project so far. However, the mission must still be approved by the International Space Station's international partners.

Photo: Pixabay, Pixabay License

“The crew will consist of four members. Last week, France announced a similar agreement with VAST, so the crew still needs to be completed before reaching its final size. The full crew will then appear before an international panel led by NASA, which is expected to approve the mission.”

The launch is currently planned for next summer aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. But space missions are rarely launched exactly on schedule, says Jiří Dušek, director of the Brno Observatory.

“A specific date has been mentioned, but the reality is that projects like these are often delayed by weeks and sometimes even months. So we can say it should happen next summer, but it could quite possibly slip to the autumn.”

Photo: Václav Koníček, VUT

The Czech government and the European Space Agency say the mission's greatest value lies in the scientific and technological research it will enable. According to Dušek, thirteen Czech experiments are expected to be carried out aboard the ISS, helping Czech scientists test new ideas and technologies in space.

“These experiments focus primarily on biology, including the human body. There is research into human stress, for example, as well as AI-based models of human physiology. There are also technological experiments, such as research into nanorobots and their behaviour in the space environment, as well as cancer research.”

Aleš Svoboda|Photo: Ondřej Vaňura, Czech Radio

If everything goes according to plan, Svoboda will become only the second astronaut in Czech history after Vladimír Remek, and the first Czech citizen ever to visit the International Space Station.