Southern edge of the moon as photographed by Jon Tupper in Thickwood, Fort McMurray AB
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The big day is finally here as NASA prepares to send humans around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
Jeremy Hansen is set to make history today aboard the Artemis II mission, becoming the first Canadian to travel beyond low-Earth orbit and fly around the moon.
NASA has scheduled liftoff for 6:24 p.m. Eastern, or 4:24 p.m. in Fort McMurray, with an 80 per cent chance of favourable weather conditions during the two-hour launch window.
The mission will see Hansen and his crewmates travel aboard the Orion spacecraft on the Space Launch System rocket, marking the first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo era.
Canadians can watch the launch live on NASA’s website and YouTube channel, as well as through streams hosted by the Canadian Space Agency. Public viewing events are also being held at museums, science centres and community venues across the country.
If successful, Artemis II will send the crew on a multi-day journey around the moon before returning to Earth, testing systems needed for future lunar landings. The mission is a key step toward Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface later this decade.
The flight is expected to highlight Canada’s role in the Artemis program and its contributions to deep space exploration.
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