prof. Grzegorz Wrochna

President of the Polish Space Agency

Professor Grzegorz Wrochna serves as the President of the Polish Space Agency (POLSA). He was appointed to this position on February 18, 2021.

Prof. Wrochna is a Professor of physics. From 1986 to 1991, he served on the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw. During that time, he worked closely with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) labs, in Geneva and Hamburg, respectively. From 1991 to 1998, while at CERN, he participated in the design and construction of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

Beginning in 1999, Prof. Wrochna served at the Institute for Nuclear Studies, and in 2006 became the director of the Institute, following his leadership of the Astroparticle Apparatus Laboratory. In 2011, he initiated the creation of the National Center for Nuclear Research (NCBJ), and he served as its Director until 2015. At NCBJ, among other achievements, he established the Department of Astroparticle Physics, and involved the institution in several space-related projects.

Prof. Wrochna represented Poland at EURATOM, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, and the Board of Governors of the European Union’s Joint Research Center. During 2017-2018, he served as the President of the Scientific Policy Committee advising the Minister of Science and Higher Education. During 2019-2020, Prof. Wrochna served as Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, where his responsibilities included overseeing cooperation with the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Michał Wierciński

Vice President of POLSA

Vice President Wierciński is a graduate of the University of Warsaw and and the National Defence University of Warsaw. Since 2005, he been engaged with defence and space. He worked, among others, at the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, where he participated in the process of Polish involvement in the formation of EU Battlegroups. Since 2009, as a Chief Specialist in the Ministry of  Defense, he has managed international research projects, implemented within the European Defence Agency and NATO Science and Technology Organization. In 2011, he co-authored the Strategy of Operations of the Ministry of National Defence in the area of research and defence technologies.

Mr. Wierciński joined the space sector in 2015, assuming the position of Development Director of the Polish branch of the Spanish engineering group Sener, and afterwards the Head of Space and Satellite Technologies Office at the Polish Armament Group S.A. (PGZ S.A.). During that time, his project portfolio included i.a. missile control technologies, development of national capabilities regarding satellite imaging, as well as an offset related to the construction of a modern laboratory for testing missile guidance systems.

After leaving PGZ S.A. in 2021, he took the position of the Representative of the Director of the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation for rocket technologies. Issues related to  technology transfer for the development of suborbital rockets in cooperation with Ukraine were his area of focus

From 2021, he is an expert of the European Commission at the European Defence Fund for space projects.

Col ret. Rafał Borek PhD Eng.

Head of Satellite Telecommunications & Navigation Department

graduated from Military University of Radio-Technology. Engineer in telecommunication, M.Sc. in automatics (electrotechnical branch), supplementing education with postgraduate studies related to: cybersecurity; project management; analysis of international security aspects; space management in modern economy; military foreign affairs and MBA. Ph.D. thesis completed in Space Situational Awareness (SSA) field. Attended in numerous courses within EU matters, ESA, NATO as well as technical connected with duties and in a few projects.

30 years of experience in variety of posts mainly related to aviation technologies, leader of metrological laboratory responsible for calibration of aircrafts test devices, mainly for Air Forces, specialist dealing with Lessons Learned System establishment in Operational Command and later on working in the field of EU missions and operations within CSDP for Polish Representative to the NATO & EU Mil. Committees. For the last 9 years associated with the space sector, he has been working for Inspectorate for Implementation of Innovative Defense Technologies and after in Polish Space Agency. In both institutions responsible for managing surveys, studies and Polish involvement analysis in number of space areas: SSA, technology harmonization (at national level and within international context – ESA, EDA, European Commission) and SATCOM field as a national expert to EU GOVSATCOM Expert Group and national delegate to JCB. Recently, member of the ministerial team of support Polish industry in European Defence Fund. Over last 5 years Director of Defence Projects Department and Telecommunication and Satellite Navigation Department.

Aleksandra Bukała, PhD

Head of Strategy and International Cooperation Department

Mrs. Aleksandra Bukała graduated from the Warsaw School of Economics in 2001, Faculty of Management and Marketing. PhD in the area of the Management in 2014. She completed also a 1 year post-graduate course in the field of Automation at Warsaw Technical University in 2008.

Mrs. A. Bukała has over 15 years of experience as a Project- and Program Manager in the area of aerospace with a focus on automation and robotics for space applications, as well as space security and safety. Among others, she gathered her experience from research and science entities: Industrial Institute of Automation and Measurements (PIAP) and Warsaw Technical University. She worked for SENER Poland as: Business Development Manager and CEO. Then she took over the position of CEO at Creotech Instruments SA from the space electronics domain. Mrs. A. Bukała takes part in different associations, working groups and committees, like for example: National Centre for Research and Development, CAPTECH EDA GEM3, NATO, Horizon 2020 as an evaluator of applications.

With POLSA from October 2019.

Agnieszka Gapys

Head of Information and Promotion Departament, Spokeswoman

Spokeswoman and the Director of the Department of Information and Promotion at the Polish Space Agency. Communication and promotion matters expert with extensive experience.  For many years associated with public administration. Previously she worked for ex. Ministry of Economy, Industry Development Agency and the Polish Gas Company.  She lectured Media Relations and Press Spokesperson workshops at one of the universities in Warsaw.

Oskar Karczewski, PhD

Head of Reasearch and Innovation Department

Dr Karczewski has a scientific background with a BA and MSc from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in astrophysics from UCL (2013). Throughout a total of eight years of academic research he studied local and global star formation processes in nearby galaxies, an highly interdisciplinary research area situated at the interface between physics, chemistry and applied mathematics. He participated in several collaborations which used observational data from the Herschel Space Observatory, most notably at Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) in Saclay, France, where he held a personal grant. His observing campaigns include far infrared and radio observations with JCMT (Hawaii, USA) and IRAM (Granada, Spain), respectively.

In 2017 dr Karczewski made a transition to business, where he managed highly innovative Research and Development projects in areas such as sensing technologies for medicine and space, metrology and telecommunications. His responsibilities also included strategy building and business development. His projects received international recognition and funding awards in highly competitive European programmes.

At POLSA, dr Karczewski serves as the Head of Research and Innovation, where he works to support the growing space sector in Poland by creating links between the academia and the industry, by helping build cutting-edge scientific and engineering expertise, and by promoting Polish space companies on the global market.

With POLSA since 2021.

Jolanta Orlińska

Deputy Head of Earth Observation Department

Jolanta Orlińska graduated from the Warsaw University of Technology, the Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography, specializing in photogrammetry and geographical information systems. In the years 2002-2008, as the department director, she managed the development and implementation of the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) in Poland for the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy.

In 2008, she was appointed as the Surveyor General of Poland and president of the Main Office of Geodesy and Cartography. She was responsible for the implementation of the INSPIRE directive in Poland. Since 2012, she worked as the director of the planning and water resources department at the National Water Management Authority, where she was responsible for the implementation of the flood directive and the construction of an IT system to protect the country against extraordinary threats, ISOK.

Since 2015, Mrs Orlińska warks at the Polish Space Agency, dealing with Earth observation. She represents Poland at the forum of organizations such as ESA, CEOS, EURISY and the European Space Program Committee – Copernicus Configuration. She also shares her experience in developing professional competences by chairing the work of the Consultative Committee of the Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography at the Warsaw University of Technology.

Justyna Sokołowska – Organizational Office

Marta Balcer – Strategy & International Cooperation Department

Monika Banaszek-Cymerman – Research & Innovation Department

Justyna Makukska – Information & Promotion Department

Marcin Teofilewicz – Space Safety Department