Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts received a heartwarming toast from Canada as they gear up for their monumental lunar fly-around, which aims to extend humanity's reach deeper into space than the Apollo missions.
The illustrious crew of three Americans and one Canadian is set to arrive at their destination on Monday, capturing images of the enigmatic lunar far side during their journey. This mission marks the first crew to orbit the moon in over 53 years, continuing the legacy left by NASA's Apollo program.
Artemis II is on path to break records, traveling more than 252,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) from Earth. This journey intends to record distance for humans, currently held by Apollo 13, as the crew performs a U-turn behind the moon before safely returning home.
The Canadian Space Agency proudly acknowledged their part in the mission, with astronaut Jeremy Hansen paving the way for Canada as he heads towards the moon – the first non-U.S. citizen set to perform such a role.
Today he is making history for Canada, expressed Lisa Campbell, President of the Canadian Space Agency. Let his journey remind us that Canada’s future is crafted by those who dare to reach for more.
During a live televised connection, Hansen shared insights about the “extraordinary” views captured from NASA’s Orion capsule. Alongside him are astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, making history as the first lunar astronauts in over 50 years since Apollo 17 in 1972. Notably, Koch and Glover hold the distinction of being the first female and Black astronauts to reach the moon, respectively.
Their nearly 10-day mission will culminate with a Pacific splashdown on April 10. This endeavor is the groundwork for NASA's ambitious aspirations of establishing a sustainable moon base, aiming for a moon landing by two astronauts near the lunar south pole by 2028.
