Jeremy Hansen is set to become the first Canadian astronaut to orbit the moon. Hansen is part of the four-person crew of the Artemis II mission, which NASA launched on April 1.
Canada will make history when Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen becomes the first Canadian – and the first non-American – to ever take part in a lunar mission.
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Who is Jeremy Hansen?
Born on January 27, 1976, Hansen grew up on a farm near Ailsa Craig, Ontario until moving to Ingersoll for high school, according to his biography shared by CSA.
Hansen is married and has three children. He enjoys sailing and racing, rock climbing and mountain biking.
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Jeremy Hansen’s Early Life: Jeremy Hansen joined 614 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron at the age of 12 and began his journey into aviation. He earned his Air Cadet glider pilot wings at age 16 in Trenton, Ontario.
At 17, Hansen obtained his private pilot’s license. This training led to his admission to the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.
Jeremy Hansen’s Education: In 1999, Hansen graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Space Science (Bachelor of Science in Space Science) from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario.
He received his Master’s degree in Physics from the same institution in 2000 with a focus on Wide Field of View Satellite Tracking.
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In 2003, he completed CF-18 fighter pilot training at the 410th Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron.
In 2011, he completed astronaut candidate training and began working at the Mission Control Center as a capcom – the voice between the ground and the International Space Station.
Career of Jeremy Hansen: Jeremy Hansen served as a CF-18 fighter pilot with the 441st Tactical Fighter Wing and the 409th Tactical Fighter Wing, as well as a Combat Operations Officer with 4 Wing Operations where his responsibilities included “the effectiveness of NORAD operations, deployed exercises and polar flying operations.”
In 2009, Colonel Hansen was one of two recruits selected by CSA through the Third Canadian Astronaut Recruitment Campaign.
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In 2013, “Jeremy Hansen participates in the European Space Agency’s CAVES program in Sardinia, Italy, during which he lives six days underground. He has the privilege of inspiring young Canadians by piloting the historic Hawk One F-86 Sabre jet,” his profile on ČSA read.
In 2017, Jeremy Hansen became the first Canadian to be appointed to lead NASA’s astronaut class – meaning he was in charge of training astronaut candidates from the United States and Canada.
Jeremy Hansen is assigned to the Artemis II mission in 2023.
About Artemis II
Artemis II, a 32-story Space Launch System rocket, is set to lift off Wednesday night with a two-hour launch window beginning at 6:24 p.m. EDT at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Artemis astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will be on board. It flies a few thousand miles past the moon, hangs a turn, and then goes straight back. No orbiting the moon, no stopping for a moonwalk – just a quick ascent and return lasting less than 10 days.
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NASA promises more boot prints in the gray lunar dust, but only after a few practice missions.
Unlike the Apollo missions that sent astronauts to the moon between 1968 and 1972, the first Artemis crew includes a woman, a person of color and a Canadian citizen.
Artemis II is the opening shot of NASA’s grand plans for a permanent base on the Moon. The space program aims to land on the moon near the lunar south pole in 2028.
(With input from agencies)
