There’s a lot of buzz around the Artemis II mission to the moon this winter. A number of delays have forced the launch date to be changed, however, with the latest estimation set for March 6th. A mission to the moon hasn’t happened since 1972 when Apollo 17 landed on the lunar surface. The mission included three astronauts, Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, who is the only one still alive from that mission.
The Artemis II mission includes four astronauts, one of whom is Canadian Jeremy Hansen. This new mission doesn’t include a lunar landing, however it’ll mark the first time a Canadian will travel around our closest space neighbour. Astronauts will be trying new systems on the spacecraft, performing various experiments, and observe the moon from the closest vantage point since the 1970’s.
Colonel Jeremy Hansen is a physicist and a Canadian fighter pilot originally from Ontario who was selected to participate in the Artemis II mission in April 2023. Joining Hansen on the 10-day mission is Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover. Koch will become the first woman to fly around the moon and Glover is set to become the first black man to also fly around the moon.
The Artemis II mission will not be stopping on the moon, however NASA is planning a moon landing in the next few years using the Artemis III spaceship.
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