Meet Jeremy Hansen: The farm boy turned astronaut set to become the first Canadian to venture around the Moon

NASA's SLS rocket successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center, carrying four astronauts on the first crewed Artemis mission. After resolving last-minute battery and safety issues, the spacecraft cleared the way for deep lunar exploration.If all goes well, Artemis II will be humanity's first crewed trip near the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The astronauts will ride a fiery column into a new era of spaceflight. Post-liftoff, Orion enters Earth orbit, and will be followed by a translunar injection burn from its upper stage, propelling it toward a lunar flyby before returning home.The spacecraft will then re-enter Earth's atmosphere, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean with recovery operations to follow.

Amid this mission, Canada is set to make space history as Jeremy Hansen - a farm boy turned fighter pilot turned astronaut - is expected to become the first Canadian, and the first non-American, to venture around the Moon. NASA’s Artemis II mission places him alongside three fellow astronauts for a 10-day test flight that pushes human exploration further than ever before.

Who is Jeremy Hansen?

Jeremy Hansen, born January 27, 1976, grew up on a farm near Ailsa Craig, Ontario, before moving to Ingersoll for high school.

Now a colonel, he's married and has three kids - he also loves sailboat racing, rock climbing, and mountain biking, according to the CSA Biography.

Early aviation passion

Hansen joined the 614 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron at age 12, earning glider pilot wings at 16 in Trenton, Ontario. By 17, he held a private pilot license, leading to Royal Military College Saint-Jean admission.

Hansen’s education qualifications

He earned a Bachelor of Science in space science in 1999 and a Master of Science in physics in the year 2000 from the Royal Military College of Canada, researching satellite tracking.

Hansen completed CF-18 fighter pilot training in 2003 at 410 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron.

His journey from a fighter pilot to an astronaut

Hansen flew CF-18s with 441 and 409 Tactical Fighter Squadrons, serving as Combat Operations Officer at 4 Wing for NORAD, Arctic, and deployed missions. Selected in CSA's 2009 recruitment, he graduated from astronaut training in 2011, working as CAPCOM at Mission Control.In 2013, Hansen joined ESA's CAVES program, living underground six days in Sardinia, Italy. That year, he flew the historic Hawk One F-86 Sabre to inspire youth. By 2017, he became the first Canadian to lead a NASA astronaut class.

Meet the Artemis II crew

Hansen joins Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch on Artemis II aboard the 32-story SLS rocket. The crew flies thousands of miles beyond the Moon, loops back in under 10 days for system tests for a future lunar base.