On Tuesday, the Minister of Development and Technology, Krzysztof Paszyk, dismissed Grzegorz Wrochna from his position as the president of the Polish Space Agency (POLSA).
Background of the Falcon 9 Case
The decision comes in the context of the Falcon 9 rocket incident. On February 20, 2025, the Minister of Development called on the president of POLSA to provide explanations regarding irregularities in informing about the uncontrolled re-entry of a Falcon 9 rocket stage into the atmosphere. It was argued at the time that POLSA’s reports did not signal the level of risk.
Paszyk subsequently obligated the Agency’s president to “immediately verify and change the procedures previously used by the Agency for notifications.” This includes the method of “distribution and assessment of the possibility of incidents, as well as their subsequent updates.” The Ministry of Development and Technology (MRiT) stated that POLSA’s situational reports “did not differ in any way from those previously submitted and did not signal the level of risk of a potential incident.”
According to MRiT, the information provided by POLSA “did not reflect the assessment of the situation resulting from the reports sent by the Agency and could have misled the public.”
On March 2, a cyberattack targeted POLSA’s systems, prompting the Agency’s network to be immediately disconnected from the internet. The systems were restored on March 5.
The Polish Space Agency (POLSA) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Development and Technology, established in 2014. Its mission is to support the Polish space industry. POLSA collaborates with international agencies and state administration in the field of space research and utilization.