NASA Chief Bill Nelson’s Visit to Poland: A Step Towards Deepening Space Exploration Collaboration

NASA chief Bill Nelson (left) and Polish Space Agency CEO Grzegorz Wrochna (right) meet in Warsaw on Thursday, June 1, 2023. Photo: POLSA

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recently visited Poland to discuss the country’s role in future American space exploration projects. The meeting at the Polish Space Agency (POLSA)’s Warsaw headquarters was attended by POLSA CEO Grzegorz Wrochna, senior Polish space officials, and the US ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski.

The discussions centered on ways to deepen cooperation and Poland’s contribution to new American space exploration projects. Nelson appreciated POLSA’s work, emphasizing that we are in the midst of a ‘golden era’ of space exploration, which must not proceed without contributions from Polish people. He stated that the development path of POLSA and the Polish space sector “fits in with NASA’s plans,” and so “joint projects are just a matter of time.”

POLSA’s Wrochna expressed his desire for Poland to be “even more actively involved in NASA’s projects than before,” viewing Nelson’s visit as “an important step in this direction.” Nelson described Poland as “a valued partner and ally,” noting that Warsaw joined NASA’s Artemis Accords in 2021, paving the way for Polish participation in the US exploration of the Moon and Mars, among other programs.

During his visit, Nelson also met with a group of Polish students who have won awards at the European Rover Challenge competition and held talks with Polish space industry companies to learn about their products and services.

In an interview with TVN24 BiS, Nelson expressed his optimism about the future of space exploration, stating, “The universe is so vast, it reaches so far, that the possibilities are virtually unlimited.” He also mentioned his ongoing curiosity about the probability of life existing elsewhere in the universe, suggesting that there could be another Earth-like planet where life has developed.

This visit underlines the importance of space cooperation in Polish-American relations and sets the stage for future collaborative projects in space exploration.