Third Swede in space important door opener

It has only been a little more than a year since engineer and fighter pilot Marcus Wandt was selected from among 22,500 applicants to become one of Europe's new astronaut candidates. Due to a late cancellation, he received the offer to join the International Space Station (ISS) last spring. Since then, he has rapidly completed the training required to undertake the mission he now faces.

"It feels fantastic! I could never have imagined a year ago that we would so quickly have a new Swedish astronaut on the way to space. There is a lot of hard work behind this and many people have fought to make it happen," says Anna Rathsman, who in her role as head of the Swedish National Space Agency has been the key coordinator to ensure everything runs smoothly.

The journey is a collaboration between the Swedish National Space Agency, the European Space Agency (ESA), the American space companies Axiom Space and SpaceX, and the American space agency NASA.

30 scientific experiments in two weeks

After eight months of preparations, Marcus Wandt is now ready to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS). For two weeks, he will participate in around 30 different research experiments. Among other things, he will be a test subject to how longer stays in confined spaces affect people's stress levels and ability to think. The hope is that the results can help improve the design of other confined environments where people need to be alert and perform at their best. For example, on submarines, oil platforms, or Arctic research stations.

"Another thing Marcus will do is to help investigate how the body's stem cells are affected by weightlessness," says Anna Rathsman.

In previous experiments, it has been shown that the capacity of stem cells to divide and develop into mature body cells increased when exposed to short periods of weightlessness. Now, Marcus Wandt will take the stem cells up with him for two weeks. The experiments are part of a research project led by Uppsala University. The aim is to find out how the impact of weightlessness on stem cells can contribute to their use for medical purposes.

An Important Incentive to Attract Future Engineers and Scientists

Before Marcus Wandt was selected for ESA's astronaut programme, he worked as a fighter pilot in the armed forces. In recent years, he has been the chief test pilot at Saab, and involved in the development of the Jas Gripen. He is an engineer by training and graduated in electrical engineering in 2007. Anna Rathsman believes this background can inspire young people to study technology and other STEM subjects.

"If you want to get young people to study technology and science, space is an incredible gateway. Seeing that a guy who studied engineering at Chalmers can go this far and become an astronaut and be sent into space can be an enormous source of inspiration for young people considering what to study."

Space: a Nursery for Critical Technology

pace is not only a place for conducting important basic research. It is also an environment that has driven technological development. Often, it involves developing solutions that meet the extremely high demands placed on technology that must withstand a space mission. Frequently, this technology has also had significant implications on Earth. One example is the development of more efficient solar panels, which have helped make solar energy a competitive alternative to fossil fuels. Anna Rathsman also believes that the launch of astronauts can have a significant impact here.

"The attention that sending astronauts into space receives is a way to make people see how important it is to invest in space research and technology. Take, for example, the development of satellites, which in space form an infrastructure that society here on Earth is entirely dependent on, for example, in terms of communication, positioning, and Earth observation."

Two Weeks of Quarantine Before Launch

If all goes according to plan, Marcus Wandt and his three fellow astronauts will lift off from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Thursday evening (22:49 on 18 January Swedish time). Along with, among others, Space Minister Mats Persson, Anna Rathsman will be present to witness the launch. However, the opportunities to meet Sweden's next space traveller before departure and wish him good luck are limited. If so, it will be from a safe distance.

"He and the other astronauts have been in quarantine for a total of two weeks now to ensure that none of them contract any illness before the journey. So I might have to wave to him through a glass window," says Anna Rathsman.

(The text has been updated as the original launch time was postponed. The launch on Thursday, 18 January, went according to plan.)

About Marcus Wandt

Marcus Wandt is 43 years old, a trained fighter pilot and an engineer specialising in Electrical Engineering. He will be the second Swede to be sent into space, after Christer Fuglesang, and the third if you also count the Swedish-American Jessica Meir. Marcus is ESA's first "project astronaut," which means he is temporarily employed by ESA, but with financial support from, among others, the Government Offices, the Ministry of Defence, Saab, FAM, and the Swedish Space Corporation.

(Photo: SpaceX/Axiom)  

About Anna Rathsman

Anna Rathsman has been the Director General of the Swedish National Space Agency since 2018. She is an electrical engineer by training from the Royal Institute of Technology and is now one of Sweden's leading experts in both Swedish and international space activities.

Anna Rathsman has been a fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) since 2021.