The European Space Agency (ESA) and Vast have signed an agreement to carry out a Czech orbital mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It will be part of Vast’s first commercial astronaut mission to the station. The agreement assigns the Czech Republic a key crew role: mission pilot.
Aleš Svoboda could become the first Czech astronaut on the ISS if the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel approves his place on the crew. The panel’s decisions require consensus among the station’s five partners: NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Canadian Space Agency.
The mission is planned for 2027. ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet has been appointed commander. SpaceX will provide transportation using a Dragon spacecraft launched by a Falcon 9 rocket.
The agreement follows a cooperation memorandum signed by the Czech Republic and Vast in November 2024. It is also a milestone in the national Czech Journey to Space programme, coordinated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade together with the Ministry of Defence.
With ESA support, the mission is expected to include 13 scientific and technology experiments developed by Czech universities, research institutions and technology companies. The work will cover areas including biotechnology, medicine, materials research and autonomous technologies.
Svoboda completed three phases of reserve astronaut training at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne between 2024 and 2026. He will now continue with mission-specific training.
The national programme also includes educational projects. More than 860 students from across the Czech Republic applied in 2025 for a selection process inspired by real astronaut recruitment. The Zero-G mission is set to continue in 2026–2027, with a new student selection process due to open in September 2026.
