Jeremy Hansen to fly around the moon on Artemis II mission

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen will be the first Canadian to travel beyond low Earth orbit as mission specialist on NASA's Artemis II, with a launch window identified as early as Feb. 6; the Canadian Space Agency will accept public questions for Hansen until Jan. 23.

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen is scheduled to serve as mission specialist on NASA's Artemis II, which would make him the first Canadian to travel beyond low Earth orbit. The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch. Mission preparations are in the final stages and NASA has identified launch dates from early February through April. The Canadian Space Agency is inviting public questions to present to Hansen while he is in orbit. Key facts: - Jeremy Hansen, 49, of London, Ontario, is assigned as mission specialist on Artemis II and would be the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit. - The Artemis II crew members named in reports are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch. - The SLS rocket is scheduled to roll from the vehicle-assembly building to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, a roughly 6.5-kilometre move expected to take about 12 hours. - A wet dress rehearsal — a simulated launch — is planned before the end of the month, after which management will assess the launch date; NASA has cited an earliest window of Feb. 6 and plans to fly no later than April. - The mission is expected to last about 10 days, with the Orion spacecraft slated to splash down in the Pacific Ocean; Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons is named as Hansen's backup and will support the crew from ground control. Summary: The mission represents a historic first for a Canadian in deep space and is likely to draw public attention in Canada. Technical preparations continue with the SLS rollout and a wet dress rehearsal before managers set the final launch date, currently identified as possibly beginning Feb. 6 and no later than April. The planned flight duration is roughly 10 days with a Pacific Ocean splashdown at mission end. The Canadian Space Agency will accept questions for Hansen in English and French through Jan. 23.