Astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, PhD, appreciated the passion of young designers from Bialystok University of Technology and, during a conversation with representatives of the Student Scientific Association of Robotics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of BUT, signed the Polones body – a construction that in 2025 successfully represented the university internationally.
– Everything happened very quickly, but Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski immediately noticed our projects – says Daniel Aleksiejczuk, a student of Automation and Robotics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of BUT and a member of BUT Rover Team. – When he saw the name of our robot, he smiled and said, “Polones, great!”. He asked several specific technical questions about communication protocols and engineering work. You could feel that we were talking to a practitioner who knows exactly what to ask. His signature on Polones is a huge honor for us.
Meeting the ESA astronaut was for the students of Bialystok University of Technology more than just an opportunity to get an autograph. It confirmed that the path they are following, developing their passions and interests in the field of automation and robotics, is the right one.
Currently, the BUT Rover Team crew is not slowing down. Thanks to the “Student Scientific Associations Create Innovations” program, the future engineers developed and tested an advanced robotic arm based on an eccentric-cycloidal gear and an integrated drive for a new generation of machines. –Our immediate goal is to complete the modernization of the 126 Spirit rover and participate in the Canadian International Rover Challenge in Canada – announces Daniel Aleksiejczuk.
As part of the nationwide scientific and technological tour “IGNIS – Poland Reaches for the Stars,” a discussion panel “Mission Ignis – experiments, science, space, career” was also held with Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, PhD, with participation of rectors from the largest universities in Białystok. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Rector of Bialystok University of Technology, emphasized that the Polish space sector is ceasing to be a niche and is becoming a driving force of innovation.
– Mission of Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski is a huge inspiration for all Polish science, especially for our students and researchers – said Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng. – From Mars rovers that have made us famous worldwide to researchers developing innovative projects, we prove that at Bialystok University of Technology we not only engage in space technologies but also seek real, practical applications for them.
Among the many scientific topics and projects carried out by Bialystok University of Technology researchers, Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, highlighted achievements in materials engineering. She emphasized that the university has a unique in Europe Fiber Optics Technology Laboratory at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, which deals with the production and analysis of properties of multi-component and silica glasses fibres. Modern laboratory facilities, including an innovative fibre optic demonstrator, enable our scientists to develop innovative technologies for modern industry, medical sector, and even environmental applications.
According to the astronaut, the potential is already there; now it is crucial how it will be used.
– I hope students will invest in themselves, their time, their future, and their careers. Perhaps some of them will build new space stations, space equipment, or contribute to space medicine from either a scientific or a very practical side – said Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, PhD.
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, PhD, conducted dozens of experiments during his two-week mission on the International Space Station (ISS). These strengthened Poland’s R&D potential and brought technological benefits.
Białystok was one of the stops on the nationwide scientific and technological tour “IGNIS – Poland Reaches for the Stars.” Nearly 600 students and pupils had the chance to meet Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, PhD, ESA astronaut. In his presentation, he explained the scientific work conducted hundreds of kilometers above Earth and described the experiments he carried out.
Although the meeting had a tight schedule, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, PhD, found time to visit stands presenting achievements of the academic environment in Podlasie. The astronaut was particularly interested in the students of Bialystok University of Technology, Jakub Pigiel and Daniel Aleksiejczuk, representing the BUT Rover Team section of the Student Scientific Association of Robotics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. BUT Rover Team gathers successive generations of designers of Mars rover analogs and innovative robotic constructions, continuing the rich tradition of building space rovers at Bialystok University of Technology since 2010. So far, nine constructions have been created and awarded at the University Rover Challenge in the United States, the Canadian International Rover Challenge, and the European Rover Challenge in Poland.
The meeting with the astronaut in Białystok took place on December 18, 2025, at the Medical University of Białystok. The event gathered hundreds of people, including many space enthusiasts. It also demonstrated that the academic environment in Podlasie is ready to become part of the space future.
The event was broadcast on the YouTube platform of the Medical University.
Author: Monika Rokicka
Photos courtesy of: Medical University of Białystok, Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, and BUT Rover Team
