What to know
- Canadian Jeremy Hansen will be part of a four-person crew to go around the moon on the Artemis II mission.
- Artemis II will be the first mission to use the Orion rocket with the Space Launch System.
- Over the next decade, the Artemis missions will explore the moon’s capabilities in order to build a permanent base on its surface, with the end goal of establishing human missions to Mars.
This week, a Canadian astronaut will be going to the moon for the very first time as part of the Artemis II mission.
On April 1, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will carry four astronauts in a fly-by around the moon for the first time in more than half a century.
Jeremy Hansen, who was born in London, Ont., will be joined by NASA’s Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), and Christina Koch (mission specialist) on the 10-day trip. This will be the first flight aboard NASA’s deep space capabilities.
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Elkin Norena, the Space Launch System (SLS) resident manager at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, says the Orion rocket is the first spacecraft launching on board SLS. He reassures that NASA has already tested the new spacecraft once “to make sure it’s all ready to go this time around.”
“This is a historic mission in the sense that not only are there going to be people on board going toward the moon, but they’re going to go up the farthest they’ve ever gone in over 50 years,” Norena explains to Now Toronto.
“This time, we’re going to build a presence on the moon, so we’re going to be testing out these technologies to be able to build on that for future missions.”
According to Norena, Hansen’s role on the Artemis II trip will involve testing new technology for life support and communication systems so future astronauts can have a “sustained lunar presence and be able to live on the moon for the moon base.” He says Hansen, along with the other astronauts, have to make sure these technologies work properly and bring back key data for the next mission.
Artemis vs Apollo
In 1969, as part of Project Apollo, the United States, led by NASA, first landed humans on the moon. On the Apollo 11 mission, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon’s surface.
Norena says the Apollo missions were focused on the space race against the Soviet Union, with the objective of reaching the moon first. But this time, he explains, the Artemis II mission is about staying on the moon, “building a presence for deep space and learning how to live on the moon,” so NASA can go beyond that to Mars”
Artemis III, IV, V
At NASA, the Artemis missions aren’t stopping at two. The space agency already has plans to continue exploring the moon’s capabilities. Norena says the goal of Artemis III will test out the new EVA suits for the lunar surface and low Earth orbit. Artemis IV and V will build on that to land on the moon in 2028.
“[The astronauts] are going farther than anybody’s ever gone before. They’re going to be 4,700 miles away from the moon. The moon’s going to look like a basketball to them. They’re going to be able to capture high resolution images of where we’re going to be landing. And we’re looking at landing Artemis on the south pole of the moon,” he elaborates.
The countdown to the Artemis II mission is currently streaming live on YouTube and on the NASA+ app. The space mission will be streamed live on Wednesday.
Artemis II will launch from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:24 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1.
