TCL International Desk · Canadian Space Agency & NASA
One small step for a Canadian, one giant leap for Canada.
The Canadian Loyalist is an independent, conservative Canadian newsletter dedicated to highlighting headlines not covered by the left. We are the next-generation of conservatives, fighting for a Canada that is true, north, strong and free.
April 01, 2026 · Saint-Hubert, Québec
Tonight, if all goes according to plan, Canada will become the second nation in the history of civilization to send a human being around the Moon.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen will fly around the Moon aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis II mission. The next launch window opens today, April 1st, 2026, at 6:24 PM ET.1 It is not an overstatement to say that nothing in the history of Canadian science — not the Canadarm, not our contributions to the International Space Station — quite matches the magnitude of what is about to occur.
Hansen is set to make history in many ways: the first Canadian and first non-American to leave low-Earth orbit.2 He is a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot, a NASA mission specialist, and as of this evening, a figure who will be woven permanently into the fabric of this country's story.
The four-person crew will launch from Florida on the SLS rocket and fly aboard the Orion spacecraft, testing all of its life-support, navigation, and other systems in deep space, in preparation for future missions. They will venture beyond the far side of the Moon as part of a lunar flyby. After travelling for nearly 10 days and over 2 million kilometres, Orion will splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.3
The crewed Orion spacecraft will take a unique trajectory known as a "hybrid free return," which will circle our planet twice to gain enough speed to travel the distance to the Moon.4
Clouds and the Sun illuminate the sky on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, as NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft stand vertical at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II test flight will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026. Image Credit: NASA/Cory S. Huston.
The mission is not a landing — that comes with Artemis III — but it is the essential proving ground. Every system, every failsafe, every gram of life support must be verified with human lives on the line before boots touch the lunar surface.
Artemis II marks the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, but unlike the Apollo program, the goal is not merely to get to the Moon — but to go farther. "The ambitions are much greater," said Alexander MacDonald, a Canadian and former chief economist at NASA.5
Hansen flies alongside three NASA astronauts of extraordinary calibre. Commander Reid Wiseman is a decorated U.S. Navy pilot and engineer who spent six months aboard the ISS and most recently served as NASA's chief astronaut. Pilot Victor Glover, an accomplished test pilot, served as second-in-command of the first operational SpaceX Crew Dragon flight. Hansen's seat aboard Orion is not a courtesy. It was earned through decades of Canadian investment in space infrastructure. For decades, Canada has led in space robotics and satellite technology: leadership that helped, in part, to secure Hansen's seat on the Artemis II mission. NASA intends to use the Canadarm3 to help build the Lunar Gateway, which will be the first space station orbiting the Moon.6
Artemis II marks the first time a Canadian astronaut will take part in a lunar mission, but it will not be the last. Canada's participation in the Artemis campaign and its contribution of Canadarm3 has also secured a future mission to Gateway.7
The Canadian Loyalist is an independent, conservative publication. This article is based on reporting from the Canadian Space Agency, Government of Canada, NASA, and other official government and news statements. All facts are drawn from publicly available sources.
THE CANADIAN LOYALIST
1 Canadian Space Agency. (2026, March 30). Happening soon: Launch of the historic Artemis II mission. Canada.ca; Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/space-agency/news/2026/03/happening-soon-launch-of-the-historic-artemis-ii-mission.html
2 Wright, H. (2026, March 31). Canada looks to lead in space technology as Artemis II prepares moon launch. CP24. https://www.cp24.com/news/canada/2026/03/30/canadian-astronaut-set-to-make-history-as-artemis-ii-prepares-launch/
3 Agency, C. S. (2023, April 3). The Artemis II mission. Canadian Space Agency. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/missions/artemis-ii/mission.asp
4 Canadian Space Agency. (2020, December 16). Artemis program: missions to the Moon. Www.asc-Csa.gc.ca. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/moon-exploration/artemis-missions.asp
5 Wright, H. (2026, March 31). Canada looks to lead in space technology as Artemis II prepares moon launch. CP24. https://www.cp24.com/news/canada/2026/03/30/canadian-astronaut-set-to-make-history-as-artemis-ii-prepares-launch/
6 Wright, H. (2026, March 31). Canada looks to lead in space technology as Artemis II prepares moon launch. CP24. https://www.cp24.com/news/canada/2026/03/30/canadian-astronaut-set-to-make-history-as-artemis-ii-prepares-launch/
7 Agency, C. S. (2023, April 3). The Artemis II mission. Canadian Space Agency. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/missions/artemis-ii/mission.asp