By BlueShift | 2026-04-09

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen has made history as the first Canadian to go on a mission around the moon, as part of the four-member Artemis II crew.

The 50-year-old father of three is the first non-US citizen to fly around the moon, and is seen in his native country as "bringing the nation along on the Artemis II journey," the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) said in a statement.

Hansen, aka "Colonel Jeremy," joined the CSA in 2009 following his career as a fighter pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Even ahead of the historic journey, Hansen's involvement in the Artemis II moon mission was a source of pride for Canada. He is prominently featured on the CSA website and in all major Canadian media outlets.

His participation in the Artemis II mission is "a once-in-a-generation moment of national pride. One that will unite Canadians," Canadian MP Mélanie Joly said in a statement shared by the CSA ahead of the mission's launch.

Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk, who is currently training for his own mission to the International Space Station, made the trip to Florida's Kennedy Space Center to cheer on his colleague ahead of the April 1 liftoff.

It is "a very big deal" that Hansen is a crew member, Kutryk told AFP, describing Hansen as "a great friend and a great astronaut and a great ambassador to Canada."

"It is a huge deal," he said. "It's the first -- not just the first Canadian lunar mission -- it's the first [lunar] mission in the world that isn't purely a US crew."

"So, it's a very big deal in Canada. I feel very excited, very proud."

Kutryk noted that Canada has been partnered with the United States throughout most of human space exploration, starting with the Space Shuttle Program.

"We had astronauts flying in the 80s," he said. "We helped to construct the space station. ... Particularly with Artemis though, we were the first country to join the United States in this vision of going back to the moon."

"Now there are many countries in the Artemis Accords -- Canada was the first."

'Follow and share your passions'

Aboard the Orion spacecraft on April 5, Hansen answered questions from Canadians as he rocketed toward the moon, alongside NASA crewmates Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch.

"For Canadians who were able to speak with Jeremy live from space, the mission felt closer to home, transforming a remarkable achievement into a deeply personal and inspiring moment," the CSA said.

Through such events, it added, "Hansen and the CSA aim to spark pride, participation, and a strong sense of belonging in this extraordinary chapter of space exploration."

Even during the first few hours of the flight Hansen saw "some extraordinary things," he said during an April 4 video call from space.

As the lunar flyby wrapped up late April 6, after breaking the distance record set by the 1970 Apollo 13 mission, Hansen said the moment should "challenge this generation and the next, to make sure this record is not long-lived."

"Sharing this journey with Canadians is incredibly meaningful to me," he said in a statement ahead of the mission shared on the CSA website.

"I want every young person watching to know that this mission belongs to all of us. I hope it sparks the imagination of the next generation, because Canada’s future in space is bright, and it will take all of us to build it.”

Aboard the Orion, he continued on the same theme, urging youngsters to "follow your passions, but also share your passions with other people."

"To get big things done like we're doing in this capsule, to travel to the moon, to fly around the moon, you need a big team behind you. And that's true for all of us in our lives."

'A big team behind you'

As Hansen took part in the historic journey, Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons was at the heart of NASA's control room in Houston, supporting her Artemis II crewmates remotely during their flight around the moon.

As the backup astronaut for the mission, Gibbons trained alongside Koch, Glover, Wiseman and Hansen and was responsible for communications with the crew as they made their milestone-rich lunar flyby.

The excitement at ground control was palpable as the spacecraft travelled around the moon's far side, Gibbons told AFP.

"The excitement in the room for the descriptions that (the) crew called down was enormous. All the flight controllers have probably been inspired by Apollo and have been working their whole lives to see this happen," she said.

"We broke the distance record for Apollo 13, the furthest that humans have ever traveled from our home planet. And the moment was special," Gibbons said.

"I think people were in tears at one point, people were grateful, people laughed, people hugged, and it was just one of my most cherished moments in my career."