Jeremy Hansen to fly around the moon on Artemis II in early 2026

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will serve as mission specialist on NASA's crewed Artemis II flight that plans to fly around the moon and return, with launch dates identified between February and April 2026.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen is scheduled to serve as a mission specialist on NASA's Artemis II crewed flight that will travel around the moon and return to Earth. The mission is in its final preparations with a potential launch window beginning as early as February 2026 and running through April. If it proceeds as planned, Hansen would be the first Canadian and the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit on this mission. The Canadian Space Agency has been sharing updates and offering opportunities for Canadians to engage with the mission. Key facts: - The Artemis II crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch alongside Jeremy Hansen, and the mission is planned as the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972. - The Space Launch System rocket is scheduled to roll out to the Kennedy Space Center launch pad; that transfer typically takes about 12 hours. - Crew and mission teams will perform a wet dress rehearsal, after which management will assess readiness and select a final launch date from windows between February and April 2026. - The mission is expected to last roughly 10 days, with the Orion spacecraft planned to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on return. - Jenni Gibbons is serving as Hansen's backup and will support the crew from ground control, and the Canadian Space Agency invited Canadians to submit questions in English and French through Jan. 23 for a chance to have them presented to Hansen in orbit. - Artemis II will precede missions aimed at landing astronauts on the moon's south pole and beginning assembly of the Gateway lunar outpost, for which Canada plans to contribute a robotic system called Canadarm 3. Summary: The mission would represent a prominent Canadian presence on a crewed lunar flight and is positioned as an opportunity for public engagement. Final launch timing remains contingent on the wet dress rehearsal and other readiness checks, with dates identified between February and April 2026.