Today, the Honourable Mélanie Joly congratulated Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen as the first Canadian to venture to the Moon aboard Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon since 1972. He is joined by NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch on this nearly 10-day mission. Today's historic event marks Canada as only the second country to send an astronaut on a lunar mission. This historic achievement reinforces Canada's role as a trusted and capable partner in humanity's return to deep space.
CSA astronaut Jenni Gibbons, Canada's official backup, will serve as Artemis capcom from ground control, assisting the crew throughout the flight. The involvement of two Canadian astronauts in this endeavour underscores a proud national milestone, one that is the result of decades of Canadian expertise in space and innovation, and sets the stage for Canada's role in the next era of space exploration.
The Artemis II crew launched aboard the Orion spacecraft on the Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 pm ET. In the coming 24 hours, the crew will verify that all systems are performing normally. Once these operations are completed, Orion's service module will perform a powerful engine burn to propel the crew on their journey toward the Moon.
Over the course of the mission, the crew will travel more than two million kilometres, testing life-support, navigation, and other systems of Orion. These tests will help determine if the spacecraft is ready to support future long-duration missions to deep space. The crew is also set to venture beyond the far side of the Moon as part of a lunar flyby before returning to Earth. Orion will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
