An Evening with Sunita Williams and the Astronauts of Expedition 72 at the Embassy of Slovenia

19. 9. 2025

Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Washington

Ambassador Iztok Mirošič hosted an evening with the astronauts, featuring NASA crew members from Expedition 72 at the Embassy of Slovenia in Washington D.C. on September 17, 2025, in collaboration with Space Foundation. Part of the crew was also Sunita Williams, astronaut of Slovenian-Indian heritage from Ohio, who regularly maintains her connections with Slovenia.

skupinska slika z astronavti NASE pred zastavami — Večer s Sunito Williams ter astronavti Nasine Odprave 72 na slovenskem veleposlaništvu v Washingtonu D.C.

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At the main panel titled “Celebrating the Slovenian–American Partnership in Space,” astronaut Sunita Williams was joined on stage by Expedition 72 crew members Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Don Pettit; Robyn Gatens, Director of the International Space Station Division and Acting Head of the Commercial Space Division at NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate; Lee Echerd, Commercial Crew Program Lead at SpaceX; and Marko Novak from the Slovenian company Dewesoft. The discussion was moderated by Meghan Allen, Vice President at the Space Foundation.

In his remarks, Ambassador Iztok Mirošič highlighted Slovenia’s growing commitment to the space sector, reflected in the Slovenian Space Strategy 2030 adopted in 2023 and the work of the Slovenia Space Office, which coordinates activities across the public and private space sectors and curates the Slovenian Space Industry Catalogue. With full ESA membership beginning in 2025 and its signing of the Artemis Accords in April 2024, Slovenia has firmly positioned itself among global leaders committed to the peaceful use of outer space.

Ambassador Mirošič also emphasized Slovenia’s achievements in space science and technology: three Slovenian satellites already in orbit, the planetary habitat in Planica, and the work of the Herman Potočnik Noordung Centre of Space Technologies, alongside numerous institutes and innovative companies specializing in artificial intelligence and quantum technologies. Slovenia and the United States enjoy excellent cooperation in this field - remarkably, four NASA astronauts are of Slovenian descent.

The panel discussion focused on the evolving Slovenian–American space partnership, with panelists also sharing insights from Expedition 72. Special attention was given to the importance of science outreach and the benefits that open science and continued space exploration bring to humanity.

Among the attendees were Neža Pavlič Brečko, Director of the Herman Potočnik Noordung Centre, who also addressed the audience, and Slovenian artist director Aljoša Živadinov Zupančič. In addition to Dewesoft, the company 3GM Plus participated in the event. Following the panel and the presentation of the Slovenian Space Industry Catalogue, strong interest was expressed by U.S. companies in collaborating with Slovenian businesses and research institutions.

On the American side, major industry players such as Axiom Space, Blue Origin, ispace, Voyager, and SpaceX took part, with the Space Foundation expressing strong interest in further cooperation with Slovenia.