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By NASA
Editor’s note: This interview was conducted in October 2023.
As the International Space Station approaches 25 years of continuous human presence on Nov. 2, 2025, it is a meaningful moment to recognize those who have been there since the beginning—sharing the remarkable achievements of human spaceflight with the world.
If you have ever witnessed the live coverage of a NASA spacewalk or launch, then you know the captivating voice of celestial storyteller Rob Navias. Navias effortlessly blends expertise, enthusiasm, and profound insight into every mission.
Rob Navias on console in the Mission Control Center covering an Extravehicular Activity aboard the International Space Station. NASA/Bill Stafford I relay the facts and data with history in mind. You need to maintain a sense of history if you're going to be able to tell the contemporary story properly.
Rob Navias
Public Affairs Officer and Mission Commentator
Navias works within the Office of Public Affairs on mission operations and television in NASA Johnson Space Center’s Office of Communications, leading public affairs activities involving launches and landings of U.S. astronauts and international partner crew members. He is iconically known as the voice of NASA.
He has been a part of some of the most impactful moments in space exploration history, communicating the facts in real time with unmatched clarity. He covered every shuttle mission from the maiden launch of Columbia in April 1981 to Atlantis’ final voyage in July 2011. Navias is known for connecting others accurately and honestly to key moments in time.
Navias’ extraordinary contributions to space communications garnered him the 2017 Space Communicator Award from the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation. This prestigious accolade is presented to individuals or teams who have made remarkable contributions to public understanding and appreciation of space exploration. Navias’ unwavering dedication to NASA was recognized with the 2023 Length of Federal Service Award, commemorating his 30-year commitment to the agency.
His legacy continued on screen in Cosmic Dawn, the NASA documentary exploring the James Webb Space Telescope’s incredible journey. Featured for his role as the launch commentator during Webb’s Christmas Day 2021 liftoff, Navias brought historical context and lived experience to one of NASA’s most ambitious missions.
As long as we can maintain a shared vision and curiosity, all nations can go a long way up to the universe.
Rob Navias
Public Affairs Officer and Mission Commentator
He began his broadcast career as a correspondent for networks covering the Space Shuttle Program. Before joining NASA in 1993, Navias had a 25-year career in broadcast journalism where he reported the voyage of Pioneer 11, a robotic space probe that studied the asteroid belt and the rings of Saturn, as well as the test flights for the Space Shuttle Enterprise at Edwards Air Force Base in California and the Voyager missions from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Navias also covered the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project as a broadcast journalist. That first international human spaceflight showed the world there was a way for nations to work together peacefully for a common goal, Navias stated.
“Once the commitment was made to fund the construction of an international space station, it broadened the agency’s scope to work multiple programs that could be a stepping stone beyond low Earth orbit,” Navias said.
Rob Navias (left), accompanied by Phil Engelauf and John Shannon, during an STS-114 Flight Director press briefing.NASA I think the greatest legacy of the International Space Station will ultimately be the diplomatic oasis it has provided in orbit for exploration and scientific research.
ROB Navias
Public Affairs Officer and Mission Commentator
Navias explained that during his time at NASA, he has learned a lot about himself. “The day you stop absorbing information, the day that you grow tired of learning new things is the day you need to walk away,” he said. “The challenge of spaceflight keeps me here at NASA.”
Navias underscored the importance of nurturing and retaining the agency’s brilliant workforce who have shaped the pioneering mindset of human space exploration. He believes blending talent, resources, and industry expertise is the key to returning to the Moon and going to Mars. This collaborative mindset has not only resulted in establishing a laboratory in low Earth orbit but also paved the way for future missions.
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:03:10 These are the highlights of the launch on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) of ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland to the International Space Station. The mission is called Ignis.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 25 June 2025.
Sławosz is mission specialist on the Dragon spacecraft. The other crew members are Shubhanshu Shukla from India and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. They fly under the command of Peggy Whitson from USA.
Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission will include an ambitious technological and scientific programme with several experiments led by ESA and proposed by the Polish space industry.
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:03:50 The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew lifts off to the International Space Station atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from launchpad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 25 June at 02:31 EDT, local time (07:31 BST/08:31 CEST).
ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski travels to his new home in space in the Dragon spacecraft. Sławosz is part of Axiom Mission 4 alongside Peggy Whitson (USA), Shubhanshu Shukla (India) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).
During their journey on the Dragon spacecraft to the orbital outpost Sławosz and Tibor will serve as mission specialists, Shubhanshu will be the crew’s pilot and Peggy will be commander.
The Polish project astronaut is the second of a new generation of European astronauts to fly on a commercial human spaceflight opportunity with Axiom Space. Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission will include an ambitious technological and scientific programme with several experiments led by ESA and proposed by the Polish space industry. The mission, known as Ignis will officially begin once Sławosz enters the Station.
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was selected in November 2022 as a member of the ESA astronaut reserve and joined ESA as a project astronaut on 1 September 2023 for training familiarisation at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
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By NASA
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the Axiom Mission 4 crew launches atop the Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station.Credit: NASA As part of NASA’s efforts to expand access to space, four private astronauts are in orbit following the successful launch of the fourth all private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft lifted off at 2:31 a.m. EDT Wednesday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying Axiom Mission 4 crew members Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space as commander, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut and pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, and mission specialists ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) astronaut Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
“Congratulations to Axiom Space and SpaceX on a successful launch,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, America has expanded international participation and commercial capabilities in low Earth orbit. U.S. industry is enabling astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary to return to space for the first time in over forty years. It’s a powerful example of American leadership bringing nations together in pursuit of science, discovery, and opportunity.”
A collaboration between NASA and ISRO allowed Axiom Mission 4 to deliver on a commitment highlighted by President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send the first ISRO astronaut to the station. The space agencies are participating in five joint science investigations and two in-orbit science, technology, engineering, and mathematics demonstrations. NASA and ISRO have a long-standing relationship built on a shared vision to advance scientific knowledge and expand space collaboration.
This mission serves as an example of the success derived from collaboration between NASA’s international partners and American commercial space companies.
Live coverage of the spacecraft’s arrival will begin at 5 a.m., Thursday, June 26, on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
The spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock at approximately 7 a.m. to the space-facing port of the space station’s Harmony module.
Once aboard the station, Expedition 73 crew members, including NASA astronauts, Nicole Ayers, Anne McClain, and Jonny Kim, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov, and Alexey Zubritsky will welcome the astronauts.
The crew is scheduled to remain at the space station, conducting microgravity research, educational outreach, and commercial activities for about two weeks before a return to Earth and splashdown off the coast of California.
The International Space Station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy. NASA’s goal is to achieve a strong economy off the Earth where the agency can purchase services as one of many customers to meet its science and research objectives in microgravity. NASA’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit provides the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost, empowers U.S. industry, and enables the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.
Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-space
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Josh Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
Anna Schneider
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Jun 25, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Commercial Crew Commercial Space Humans in Space International Space Station (ISS) ISS Research Johnson Space Center View the full article
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