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ESA contracts Vast to fly Czech reserve astronaut Aleš Svoboda to the ISS in 2027

The European Space Agency has signed an agreement with Vast for an ISS mission that will carry Czech reserve astronaut Aleš Svoboda, a military pilot, aiming to make him the first Czech in ISS orbit in 2027. The flight is part of NASA’s first PAM to the ISS awarded to Vast.

Discovered 2026-06-09T02:41:16.458913-07:00 | 2026-06-09T02:41:16.458913-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • ESA is using a private-mission pathway tied to NASA’s first PAM award to Vast, reinforcing Europe’s reliance on commercial crew capacity for ISS access—see prior coverage of ESA buying dedicated SpaceX Crew Dragon capacity source:c6c9864b-c275-426b-b70d-9a54e51a1b8d.
  • The deal operationalizes Czech human spaceflight ambition by placing Aleš Svoboda on the ISS mission manifest, targeting a milestone “first Czech on the Station” after nearly 50 years.
  • It clarifies how national astronaut “reserve” capacity (including a military-pilot astronaut) can be converted into a scheduled, partner-delivered flight slot under ESA’s ISS participation strategy.

Reported By

afterburner.com.pl exterrajsc.com spacemedia.jp space24.pl SpaceWatch Global orbitaltoday.com
Sources Tracked
7
First Seen
2026-06-09T02:41:16.458913-07:00
Latest Update
2026-06-15T13:33:03.626363-07:00
Coverage
Space

Sources

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