We’re soon returning to the Moon – well – around it. And, for the first time, a non-American will be among the humans going. Canada’s Jeremy Hansen will be suiting up for this round-trip, which is set to send humans deeper into space than we’ve ever been before – a cool 4,700 miles beyond the far side of the Moon. For those keeping score, the last time humans were on the Moon was December 1972, so it’s been a minute.
I remember when Jeremy was selected as a Canadian Space Agency astronaut in 2009 alongside David Saint-Jacques. Since then, he’s done a lot of hard yards, including hours as CAPCOM and leading an astronaut class, to reach this milestone. He’s also one of the tallest astronauts to go into space at 6’2. So, if you thought economy seating was bad (I’m looking at you, WestJet), imagine being stuffed inside a spacecraft for 10 days.
Not only will Jeremy be going up, but so will a chip containing my name (and thousands of others). You can add yours here. This will join the chip that contains my name on Mars aboard the Perseverance Rover. These aliens gonna know ‘bout me.
This mission is meant to help confirm systems and hardware needed for early human lunar exploration missions, including chill things like life support. This follows the 2022 Artemis I mission, which was an un-crewed test of the Orion capsule around the Moon. Subsequent missions are set to land back on the Moon itself, with the aim to establish a more “permanent” presence.
The launch window is set to begin Feb. 6 to Feb. 10, with the massive Artemis rocket projected to be rolled out this weekend.
Strap in for some incredible footage, which is sure to contain a look back at our own, very special blue dot.
