From the waters of Lake Neuchâtel to the International Space Station, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski knows a thing or two about navigating challenging environments.
In August, during a special training week in Grandson, SSL Team Poland welcomed the Polish astronaut and engineer as a guest during their preparations for the SSL Gold Cup in Rio. For Sławosz, the visit was also a return to familiar waters and an opportunity to reconnect with sailing.
He had sailed in the past with Polish sailing legend Mateusz Kusznierewicz.
“I was sailing with Mateusz 25 years ago in different classes, but more or less at the same time, and he was a big inspiration for me as a sailor, and now we had a chance to train together, so for me it was just a pure pleasure,” said Sławosz.
From sailing to space
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski became the second Polish person to travel into space and, in June 2025, became the first Pole to visit the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission.
The mission launched from Cape Canaveral on 25 June 2025 and returned to Earth on 15 July, giving Sławosz 20 days in space, including 18 days aboard the ISS.
“I was selected for the European Astronaut Corps. In 2023, Poland made the decision to finance a space mission, and in 2025, last year, I lifted off from Cape Canaveral on the 25th of June, and I landed back on Earth on the 15th of July. I spent 20 days in space, 18 days aboard the International Space Station,” explained us Sławosz.
While sailing and space exploration may seem like completely different worlds, Sławosz sees strong connections between the two.
“Space and sailing, these are not two different worlds. You know, back in the day, we were navigating by the stars, and today, even though we use GPS signals, it is still navigating by the stars. Satellites have star trackers, and then we use time reference points in space to be able to navigate here on the ground, either at sea or on land. On the International Space Station, there are a lot of sailing references,” telling us Sławosz.
The similarities even extend to the language used aboard the ISS.
“We refer to the station as port and starboard. These are sides of the station, exactly like in sailing, so I think there is a lot, a lot of similarities. And in space, we move through the vacuum of space. Nonetheless, here, you know, water, air, aerospace- this is all moving through fluids, so then physics still is quite similar in between sailing, aerospace, and then later on, space domains,” added Sławosz.
Learning from sailors
During his time with SSL Team Poland, Sławosz joined several training sessions, observing the team both on the water and from the support boat.
For him, it was an opportunity not only to share his own experience, but also to learn from professional sailors preparing for one of the biggest international team sailing competitions.
“For me, that was a pure pleasure to work with professionals, learn from them, and maybe give some of my pointers from my experience, just little ones, but being on a boat, being on a motorboat, and being able to, you know, analyze the races, for me that was just a tremendous experience. I’m very happy I can be here, and I could also share some of my experience on this lake, because I sailed here twice on a Laser for Swiss Championships, and I know a bit about the winds here on the lake, so we could have this discussion about meteor.”
A race between nations – and a team beyond borders
The SSL Gold Cup brings together sailors representing their nations, creating a unique combination of individual sporting competition and national pride.
For Sławosz, the concept has a strong parallel with his experience in space.
“I would say, once again, it is very much like a space mission. Our mission from the Polish side that we executed, Ignis, that was our Polish mission, but we went to space as four different nationals, from Hungary, from Poland, from India, from the United States, as one team going to represent our countries on the International Space Station. I find in sports this beautiful fair play competition, where sailors from around the world can come, work together, race against each other, but finally create a common, together, you know, big society, a community, where people share experiences, share time on water, and then race in between each other to select the best ones.”
From the sailing waters of Lake Neuchâtel to the vastness of space, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski has experienced environments where teamwork, navigation, precision, and trust are essential.
His visit to SSL Team Poland showed that, despite the distance between a sailing boat and a space station, there may be more connecting the two worlds than first meets the eye.