New Polish Space Agency Chief Named After Abrupt Exit of Predecessor

Poland’s Minister of Development and Technology has announced the appointment of Dr. Marta Ewa Wachowicz as the new President of the Polish Space Agency (POLSA). Her appointment comes less than two months after her predecessor was abruptly relieved of his duties.

On 19 February, a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage underwent an uncontrolled atmospheric re-entry over Poland. The stage broke apart, with fragments landing in various locations across the country. Although the fragments caused no harm to people or property, the incident set off a political firestorm, with the Ministry of Development and Technology claiming that POLSA had failed to adequately warn the government about the re-entry.

In late February, POLSA President Grzegorz Wrochna was summoned to explain the incident to the Minister of Development and Technology. A 28 February POLSA update revealed that information about the re-entry had been sent to the wrong email address.

POLSA faced another crisis in early March when the agency suffered a “cybersecurity incident” that forced it to disconnect its network from the internet. This appeared to be the breaking point, as on 11 March, the Minister of Development and Technology officially announced Wrochna’s dismissal.

On 29 April, the Ministry of Development and Technology named Dr. Marta Ewa Wachowicz as the agency’s new President. Dr. Wachowicz holds a PhD in space physics and was involved in the establishment of POLSA in 2014. Between 2015 and 2018, she led the Department of Strategy and International Cooperation at POLSA, working to support Poland’s space sector in international economic cooperation.

“True, Copernicus wasn’t a woman… but the new President of POLSA, the Polish Space Agency, is. And I’m incredibly proud of that,” said Minister of Development and Technology Krzysztof Paszyk in a statement. “Today, I presented the appointment letter to Dr. Marta Ewa Wachowicz – an expert who knows the space sector inside and out.”

With Dr. Wachowicz now at the helm, one of her first duties will be managing Poland’s first mission to the International Space Station, scheduled for 29 May. The mission will involve ESA astronaut reserve Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, who will be launched aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, managed by Axiom Space, on a private mission to the orbiting laboratory.