Aleš Svoboda to carry Czech symbols to the ISS

Astronaut Aleš Svoboda is preparing for a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that will include both scientific experiments and symbolic items representing Czech history, industry, and culture.

Following a public call that received 1,171 proposals, a commission selected several items to represent the Czech Republic. Preliminary selections include a hockey puck to link sports tradition with technology, the Venus of Dolní Věstonice to represent cultural heritage, and Merkur construction sets to showcase technical creativity. Other items include a brooch from Křišťálové údolí to honor glassmaking traditions and a robot named Kit to commemorate the origins of the word 'robot' from the works of Karel Čapek.

The details were announced during the launch of Czech Space Week 2026, an event designed to connect science, industry, and international space cooperation.