Czech fighter pilot trains to fly SpaceX capsule to the space station

Czech fighter pilot Aleš Svoboda has arrived in the United States for the next phase of training for a planned flight to the International Space Station next summer. He is expected to serve as pilot of the four-person mission, which would make him the first Czech to travel to space since Vladimír Remek in 1978.

Svoboda will train for the flight aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is due to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket. His pilot assignment would give him responsibility for monitoring the spacecraft from launch through docking with the station and its return to Earth.

“Preparing for the role of pilot is both a great motivation and a commitment for me,” Svoboda said before leaving for the U.S., according to Novinky.cz. He said his experience as a Czech military fighter pilot had prepared him for the challenge.

Svoboda will begin working with the mission team at Vast in Long Beach, California, before training with SpaceX in Hawthorne. The program includes spacecraft systems, emergency procedures, spacesuit fitting and simulations of the flight.

Crew Dragon normally flies using automated systems, but the pilot must understand them and be ready to intervene if necessary. Svoboda’s preparation will take place in training blocks in both the U.S. and Europe, with additional work tailored to his role.

The mission, known as Vast-PAM-1, is planned for 2027 under NASA’s private astronaut mission program. The European Space Agency is arranging Svoboda’s participation and training through an agreement with Vast. His flight still requires approval from the international panel responsible for crew operations.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet is expected to command the mission, with Greek astronaut Adrianos Golemis also named to the crew. A fourth member has yet to be announced.

If the flight goes ahead, Svoboda’s work will extend beyond piloting the spacecraft. During his stay on the ISS, he is expected to take part in ESA research and 13 projects from Czechia that will use conditions in orbit for experiments.

For Czech researchers, the mission would provide a chance to carry out work aboard the space station alongside Svoboda’s flight. Details of the experiments and their results will depend on the mission proceeding as planned.

Svoboda is an ESA astronaut reserve member and a major in the Czech military. His planned journey would come nearly half a century after Remek’s flight, placing a Czech astronaut in orbit for the first time in a new era of space travel.