A London native and former CF-18 fighter pilot has been selected to become the first Canadian to fly around the moon.
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and NASA announced on Monday Jeremy Hansen will be one of the four astronauts who will venture into deep space to encircle the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II mission. The other three astronauts selected are American.
Hansen, who was born in London and grew up on a farm in Ailsa Craig before attending high school in Ingersoll, is a colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces. He holds a bachelor of science in space science from Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston and a master of science in physics from the same institution. The 47-year-old was one of two recruits selected by CSA in May 2009 and in 2017 became the first Canadian entrusted with leading the NASA training of astronaut candidates from the United States and Canada.
On the Artemis II mission - the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972 - Hansen will serve as Mission Specialist 2 alongside Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch. The team will take the Orion spacecraft into orbit and will use a trajectory known as "hybrid free return," to circle Earth twice to gain enough speed to travel the distance to the moon. Once there, Orion will use the moon's gravity to slingshot around the far side and return to Earth.
The mission is expected to last roughly ten days with the launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida being planned for November 2024. The purpose is to prove the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems, and validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space.
"I am honoured to represent Canada as a member of #Artemis II on the first crewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft around the Moon," Hansen wrote in a tweet following Monday's announcement.
Artemis I, an uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft, successfully launched last November.
“For the first time in more than 50 years, these individuals – the Artemis II crew – will be the first humans to fly to the vicinity of the Moon. Among the crew are the first woman, first person of color, and first Canadian on a lunar mission, and all four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all,” said NASA Director Vanessa Wyche. “This mission paves the way for the expansion of human deep space exploration and presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries, commercial, industry and academic partnerships and the Artemis Generation.”
Artemis II sets the stage for the third phase of the mission which is for the first woman and first person of color to land on the lunar surface. It paves the way for future long-term human exploration missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars, according to NASA officials.
Just announced – I am honoured to represent Canada as a member of #Artemis II on the first crewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft around the Moon. https://t.co/DSYVKFnIph
— Jeremy R. Hansen (@Astro_Jeremy) April 3, 2023
BREAKING NEWS! CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen (@Astro_Jeremy) will be the first Canadian to ever fly to the Moon. He’ll take part in #Artemis II, a crewed flight test of the Orion spacecraft.
Learn more: https://t.co/tqJg4QRq5o pic.twitter.com/H2X5xam61J— Canadian Space Agency (@csa_asc) April 3, 2023
