Ottawa's Parliament Hill buzzed with national pride this week as Prime Minister Mark Carney met with the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission, including Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is set to become the first Canadian — and the first person born after the Apollo era — to travel to the Moon.
Carney expressed deep admiration for the four-person crew, telling them that their upcoming voyage around the Moon had already captured the imagination of Canadians from every province and territory. "What you're doing isn't just a mission," Carney reportedly told the astronauts. "It's proof of what humanity can achieve when we reach beyond our limits."
A Canadian First in Lunar History
Jeremy Hansen, a Royal Canadian Air Force colonel from London, Ontario, will serve as Mission Specialist 2 aboard Orion when it launches as part of NASA's Artemis program. The mission is slated to carry four astronauts on a roughly ten-day journey that will loop around the Moon — the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972.
For Canada, the moment carries enormous symbolic weight. The Canadian Space Agency has been a key Artemis partner, with Canada's participation secured in exchange for contributing the Canadarm3, a next-generation robotic system that will support the planned Gateway lunar station.
Space Exploration as National Identity
Carney's meeting with the Artemis II crew reflects a growing Canadian narrative around space exploration as part of the country's identity and technological ambition. Hansen has been widely celebrated across the country, with schools hosting watch parties during mission milestones and communities holding public events to honour his journey.
"Jeremy's mission belongs to every Canadian," Carney said, drawing applause. "Children across this country are watching him and dreaming bigger because of it."
The Prime Minister also used the occasion to reaffirm Canada's long-term commitment to human spaceflight. Canada is one of five international partners on the Artemis Accords, alongside the United States, Japan, Europe, and Australia, and has earmarked significant funding for the Canadarm3 project.
Artemis II Crew
Alongside Hansen, the Artemis II crew includes NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, NASA Pilot Victor Glover, and NASA Mission Specialist Christina Koch — the first woman assigned to a lunar mission. The team has been training extensively at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The mission is expected to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a Space Launch System rocket, with the Orion capsule carrying the crew on its historic circumlunar route.
What It Means for Canada
Canada's involvement in Artemis extends well beyond Hansen's seat on the spacecraft. The Canadarm3 agreement represents one of the largest space contracts in Canadian history and positions Canadian robotics companies at the cutting edge of deep-space infrastructure.
For a generation of young Canadians watching Hansen prepare to orbit the Moon, the message from Carney and from the mission itself is clear: Canada belongs in space, and the stars are not as far away as they once seemed.
Source: CBC News
