Rożek has been invited to become a member of the 12-strong group by the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher. He is the only representative of Central and Eastern Europe on the body.
The advisory group is expected to provide the ESA's decision makers with an independent and objective assessment regarding the geopolitical, economic and societal relevance of human and robotic space exploration for Europe, as well as to recommend options for a way forward, according to an announcement.
The group’s upcoming meetings are due to be held in September and November, and in January 2023.
The website naukatolubie.pl quotes Rożek as saying that the goal of the HLAG will be to map out the directions in which Europe should develop its space technology.
”My interests focus on education and science communication, and I’ll be happy to share my experience and ideas with other members of the group, as well as brief them on Poland’s fast-developing space research sector”, Rożek said.
A physicist by education and a science journalist by profession, Rożek has contributed extensively to numerous dailies and periodicals, including The National Geographic, as well as to public broadcaster Polish Radio.
He is currently head of the science and economy section of the Polish Catholic weekly Gość Niedzielny.
Other members of the HLAG include Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former NATO secretary-general and former prime minister of Denmark, and Erling Kagge, a Norwegian explorer who was the first person to reach the North Pole, South Pole and Mount Everest on foot.
(mk/gs)