During the night between 18 and 19 January Swedish time, Marcus Wandt, who ordinarily works as a chief test pilot at Saab, commenced the space journey from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station, ISS. Saab is one of the co-financiers of the project aimed at ensuring that Sweden remains at the forefront of space research.

At the ISS, Marcus Wandt will, among other things, conduct research on weightlessness and assist in the work to understand how humans can live and work outside Earth, according to a press release from Saab.

- This is a significant and major event for both Sweden and Saab, as space is an increasingly important area for Sweden and our defence capability. Saab's focus on innovation and advanced technology means that we are now contributing to important research and development in the space sector. We are proud that one of our employees is now the third Swede in space, and we look forward to following his work, says Saab's CEO and President Micael Johansson.

In the autumn of 2022, Marcus Wandt was selected for the European Space Agency's (ESA) space programme. In the spring of 2023, it was confirmed that a space journey would take place and that Marcus Wandt would become ESA's first project astronaut ever. He is currently on leave from his role as chief test pilot for Gripen at Saab.