Hedgehog in the Cage Will Fly to the International Space Station (ISS)

2.11.2026

Hedgehog in the Cage SYMBOL SPACE – photograph

On November 2, 2026, during Czech Space Week, the items that Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda—the second Czech astronaut after Vladimír Remek—is set to take to the International Space Station (ISS) were presented. One of these items will be a Hedgehog in the Cage puzzle made by RADEMIC PUZZLES.

“Just as I was finishing a new Hedgehog in the Cage model called SYMBOL, made of chrome-plated steel with copper details, I was asked whether I could also prepare a lighter version for this spaceflight. I therefore decided to use the new cage design and equip it with a screw-apart hedgehog.” says Radek Micopulos, the puzzle’s designer.

Symbolism

This Hedgehog in the Cage is made entirely of high-strength aluminum alloy, combining strength, low weight and durability. Thin copper rings are fitted on both sides of the cage and will be gold-plated for this exceptional journey. The inspiration comes from the Voyager Golden Record—the famous golden disc carrying a message about Earth and humanity into deep space. Like our rings, the record is made of gold-plated copper. The rings will recall one of the most famous objects humanity has ever sent into space.

The Message

The hedgehog itself can also be unscrewed and will contain a message prepared by the Scout Foundation. Just as Voyager carries a message about us into space, our Hedgehog in the Cage will carry a small piece of a Czech story. A puzzle familiar to generations of Czech readers and puzzle enthusiasts will thus travel into space as a symbol of Czech ingenuity, creativity and a story that has lost none of its charm over the decades.

Materials

One of the key technical parameters of a puzzle intended for spaceflight is its weight. The Hedgehog in the Cage weighs just 65 grams, comfortably meeting the specified 80-gram weight limit for this item and leaving a 15-gram margin. Despite its low weight, the puzzle retains full functionality, structural strength and precision machining. It measures 47 × 75 mm and is made of high-strength aluminum alloy. Its rings are made of pure copper with a nickel underlayer and a coating of 24-karat gold (approximately 99.9% pure). The prototype presented at the event had not yet received its final gold plating.

Technical Preparations

All selected items are still subject to final approval by NASA, ESA and VAST. RADEMIC PUZZLES has already supplied all required certificates and technical data sheets, and the Czech team behind the Czech Journey to Space project is confident that approval of the puzzle should not pose a problem. The main topic of technical consultations was securing the hedgehog inside the cage, as it must be firmly and safely fixed in place, especially during launch and flight. If onboard conditions and final approval allow, the hedgehog could be released for the first time in microgravity, float freely inside the cage, and then be removed and unscrewed. This would mark another unique moment in the history of this legendary Czech puzzle.

English-language space puzzle illustration

Predecessors

Every country has its stories and symbols. Some fit in the palm of a hand. Hungary brought the Rubik’s Cube to the ISS, an ingenious puzzle known around the world and closely associated with Hungary. The Czech Republic is preparing to send the Hedgehog in the Cage into space—a puzzle steeped in stories and familiar to generations of Czechs.

The regional newspaper Krkonošský deník published an article titled “Hungarians took a Rubik’s Cube into space; Czechs are taking a Hedgehog in the Cage from the Podkrkonoší region.”

Difficulty

Removing the Hedgehog from its Cage in microgravity may present an entirely new challenge. On Earth, gravity affects the hedgehog’s position and movement inside the cage, whereas in space this influence is virtually absent. The hedgehog can float freely, and guiding it precisely between the cage openings may require a different handling technique. For the space mission, the puzzle’s difficulty was deliberately reduced from 3 out of 5 to approximately 2 out of 5. Even so, solving it in microgravity could paradoxically prove harder than on Earth. The absence of gravity may change how the hedgehog behaves inside the cage and complicate movements that come naturally under terrestrial conditions. Whether solving the puzzle in space will actually be more difficult or easier will only become clear during the experiment.

International Significance

Among classic mechanical puzzles, the Rubik’s Cube holds a special place in the history of space exploration: it is so far the only such puzzle whose presence in space is documented by specific photographs and records. Now the legendary Czech Hedgehog in the Cage is also preparing to travel into space. Closely associated with Jaroslav Foglar and his novel The Mystery of the Puzzle (Záhada hlavolamu), it could add another famous mechanical puzzle to this remarkable history. The specially prepared SYMBOL model from RADEMIC PUZZLES could thus become another documented type of classic mechanical puzzle in space, alongside the world-famous Rubik’s Cube.

In 1997, French astronaut Jean-François Clervoy played with a Rubik’s Cube aboard the space shuttle Atlantis during mission STS-84. This moment was captured in a historic NASA photograph dated May 20, 1997.

In 2022, a Rubik’s Cube also appeared aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where it was photographed in microgravity with Earth in the background.

In 2025, Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu continued this tradition by solving a Rubik’s Cube aboard the ISS during the Ax-4 mission.

Start

Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Vast-PAM-1 mission, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, launched into space by a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is tentatively scheduled for July 13, 2027. The exact date remains subject to change.

The puzzle has been included in the history section, although series production is not yet certain. The originally planned version will, however, be available for purchase from the RADEMIC.com online store and will be introduced soon.