Czechs get to choose what astronaut Aleš Svoboda will take into orbit

The Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade has launched the project "Czech Road to Space" (Česká cesta do vesmíru), inviting anyone to propose an object or symbol that will travel into space with future Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda. Submissions are being accepted through the project's website.

Svoboda will become the second Czechoslovak/Czech astronaut, nearly 50 years after Vladimír Remek's flight in 1978. Remek himself has already given Svoboda a patch he wore on his spacesuit during his mission to the Salyut-6 orbital station — Svoboda says it will be an honor to carry it with him.

What can be proposed

According to Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček, the idea is not to limit the mission to a small circle of scientists and engineers, but to involve the whole country. "Even a small object can carry a powerful message about what the Czech Republic can be proud of," the minister emphasized.

There are strict limitations: items must be compact and lightweight — putting anything into orbit is extremely costly, so a crate of beer is out of the question. Sharp objects are prohibited, and the main requirement is a compelling story behind the item — a connection to Czech culture, traditions, or history.

Applications will be reviewed by experts from the European Space Agency (ESA). The selected items will be presented in November at the Czech Space Week 2026 festival. Jiří Dušek, director of the Brno Observatory, is already preparing his own entry — a figurine of Ferda the Alien, the observatory's mascot. Other proposed ideas include an embroidered ribbon symbolizing Moravian folklore and the Brno dialect hantec, which is currently up for inclusion on the UNESCO list.

Krtek and other space relics

Taking cherished mementos into space has long been a tradition among astronauts. American Andrew J. Feustel, whose wife is of Czech origin, carried Jan Neruda's poems "Cosmic Songs" and a Czech flag on his early missions, followed by the famous cartoon character Krtek (the Little Mole), and later a copy of the drawing "Lunar Landscape" from Terezín. Over the years, Feustel has come to be known as the "adopted Czech astronaut."

Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang took a carved Dalecarlian horse into orbit, American Cady Coleman brought four flutes, and Mark Polansky carried a teddy bear in memory of a Holocaust survivor.

Aleš Svoboda himself is a military fighter pilot. He is set to fly to the ISS as pilot — an exceptionally high honor for the Czech Republic. He will be at the controls of a Falcon 9 rocket with a Crew Dragon capsule, though his inclusion in the crew still needs to be approved by a commission representing all five international ISS partners. Of the four mission members, only the commander has been named so far — French ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet. The names of the remaining crew members will be announced later.

Source: novinky.cz