The Czech Ministry of Transport has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US-based private space station company Vast to explore a potential private astronaut mission.
During the most recent round of the European Space Agency’s astronaut selection process, Aleš Svoboda from Czechia was one of twelve selected for a brand-new designation, Astronaut Reserve. Put simply, the ESA Astronaut Reserves are a pool of qualified candidates that are ready to step in if career astronauts are unavailable or if additional personnel are needed.
The stated purpose of the Astronaut Reserves has, however, been quickly eclipsed by a push from many countries to send members of this group to space aboard private astronaut missions. In June 2023, Sweden’s Marcus Wandt became the first of the twelve to fly into space aboard an Axiom mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Sławosz Uznański from Poland is the most recent member of the group to secure a seat to space. Uznański is scheduled to be launched aboard the Axiom Mission 4 flight in early 2025.
While most, including the United Kingdom, are opting to go with Axiom, Czechia appears to be shopping around.
In June 2024, the country created the Czech Journey to Space project with the aim of sending one of its citizens to space.
“To achieve the goals and motivate young people, we want to use the success of Aleš Svoboda, who was selected as an ESA astronaut reserve, and go even further by successfully completing the project of the first Czech astronaut, sending him into space with scientific experiments within five years,” said Minister of Transport Martin Kupka.
In September 2024, the country signed a memorandum of understanding with Axiom to begin preparing for Svoboda’s mission to space. However, with the Czech government announcing a similar agreement with Vast, a fair degree of uncertainty has been introduced regarding which company will ultimately manage Svoboda’s mission.
According to an 8 November press release, the agreement with Vast will see the pair explore a potential private astronaut mission to the ISS before it is retired in 2030, or a mission to Vast’s own Haven space station.
“We are thrilled to join forces with the Czech space mission and explore joint spaceflight opportunities to bring science, research, and technology from Czech industry to orbit, as well as potentially fly Aleš Svoboda to the International Space Station or Haven-1 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft,” said Vast CEO Max Haot.
