On July 6, 2026, only a few days after serving to Canada have a good time its nationwide day, Canadian astronaut and icon Jeremy Hansen introduced his retirement from the Canadian Area Company.
As the primary Canadian to trip to the moon, Hansen has remodeled Canada’s function in human area flight. Whilst his retirement is a loss, Canada will nonetheless be taking part in a very powerful function within the go back of people to the lunar floor.
Jenni Gibbons, Canadian Astronaut and Artemis pill communicator, at a information convention in Ottawa in Would possibly 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons has been named lead CAPCOM (pill communicator) for NASA’s upcoming Artemis III project. I’m honoured to be a part of the Artemis Lunar Floor Science Staff. And Canada may be contributing a robot Lunar Software Car to the Artemis program.
Hansen’s lunar legacy
It’s laborious to imagine, however it’s 3 months for the reason that Artemis II project ended following a a hit splashdown within the Pacific Ocean.
This used to be the primary crewed project to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 and the primary crewed flight take a look at of the Area Release Gadget rocket and Orion spacecraft in deep area. The workforce comprised NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canada’s Hansen.
I’ve had the excitement of figuring out Hansen for 15 years and offering him coaching in geology in one of the maximum faraway and impressive portions of the Canadian North.
Gordon Osinski teaches Canadian astronauts Jeremy Hansen and Jenni Gibbons about lunar geology on the Kamestasin Lake have an effect on construction, Labrador.
Canadian Area Company.
Hansen served as a project specialist. This used to be his first area flight and the fruits of a few years of laborious paintings and determination. From rising up on a farm simply out of doors London, Ont., to changing into an astronaut in 2011, Hansen’s trail to the moon used to be an extended one.
Artemis II captured the eye of the arena as most effective astronaut flights can. From the lunar flyby and our era’s personal “Earthset” second to the tears shed because the workforce devoted a moon crater to Wiseman’s past due spouse, this project captured the most productive of humanity. It confirmed what can occur when nations paintings in combination for a commonplace reason.
Hansen can retire figuring out he’s helped pave the best way for a brand new era of explorers to move again to the lunar floor and in the end directly to Mars. On a lighter word, the workforce additionally set a brand new Guinness International Document for the farthest distance people have ever travelled from Earth.
All the way through their lunar flyby, the 4 astronauts reached a distance of 406,773 kilometres from Earth, surpassing the former mark set via Apollo 13 in 1970. In addition they racked up an astonishing 1.1 million kilometres in 10 days.
A view of Earth atmosphere taken via the Artemis II workforce on April 6, 2026.
(NASA)
The importance for Canada
For Canada, Artemis II represented one of the vital necessary milestones within the nation’s area program. Hansen was the primary Canadian to trip to the moon and the primary non-American astronaut to take part in a lunar project.
This partnership with NASA used to be additionally a sworn statement to Canada’s long-term process of contributing specialised generation and experience to world area exploration.
As Hansen wrote in his retirement publish on X:
“Our future depends on a fierce continuation of Canadian innovation and exploration in space. The technological breakthroughs and economic benefits born from this sector are vital for our country and the world.”
Hansen’s flight remodeled Canada’s function in human area flight from basically low-Earth-orbit participation to direct involvement in human exploration past Earth’s orbit. Artemis II is a visual demonstration that Canadian researchers, firms, applied sciences and astronauts can take part at once within the subsequent technology of lunar and planetary exploration.
Gibbons showed for Artemis project
NASA made some primary adjustments to the Artemis program in February. The following project, Artemis III, used to be redesignated from first human lunar touchdown right into a crewed take a look at flight in low-Earth orbit to check rendezvous and docking features with industrial landers. The real go back to the lunar floor has been driven to the Artemis IV project.
Later, on June 9, 2026, NASA formally named the 4 workforce individuals who will fly this low-Earth orbit take a look at project.
Whilst no Canadian astronauts are showed for upcoming Artemis missions, Canada will nonetheless play a job. Gibbons — backup for Hansen on Artemis II — has been named lead CAPCOM (pill communicator) for Artemis III.
This is likely one of the maximum necessary roles in project keep watch over and is a testomony to the agree with that NASA places in Canadian astronauts.
My function within the science crew
I’m additionally honoured to be a part of the Artemis Lunar Floor Science Staff. Once we had been to start with decided on, we had been referred to as the Artemis III Geology Staff. However with NASA’s contemporary shakeup of the Artemis program, we can now be the science crew for no longer simply Artemis IV, but in addition Artemis V — the primary two missions again to the moon since 1972.
The Artemis science crew paintings on a digital fact simulation project within the Science Analysis Room.
(Gordon Osinski), Creator equipped (no reuse)
Even if those missions are two years away, our science crew is repeatedly busy. With 9 candidate touchdown websites overlaying hundreds of sq. kilometres at the lunar floor, considered one of our largest ongoing tasks is deciding at the geology that may be completed and the websites that will probably be maximum fascinating scientifically.
We also are busy coaching to strengthen the astronauts on those historical missions via simulated digital fact missions.
Joshua Kutryk to World Area Station
Past those showed Artemis missions, Canada’s moon plans are in a state of flux. With the cancellation of NASA’s Lunar Gateway area station and Canada’s first-ever rover project to the moon, there are lots of uncertainties. So much is driving at the Lunar Software Car, Canada’s primary robot contribution to the Artemis program.
Representation of an astronaut, a rover and a lander at the lunar floor.
(CSA/ESA)
Alternatively, Canada won’t have to attend lengthy for the following Canadian to fly in area. After an extended hiatus between David Saint-Jacques’ flight in 2019 and Hansen’s flight previous this 12 months, it’s just a subject of months prior to Gibbon’s classmate, Joshua Kutryk, will release to the World Area Station on Workforce 13.
This will probably be some other Canadian first to look ahead to: Kutryk would be the first Canadian Area Company astronaut to release on a Area X Falcon 9 as a part of NASA’s Business Workforce Program.
So, as we are saying farewell to Hansen, we gained’t have lengthy to attend till some other Canadian heads to area.
