The Artemis II mission will use NASA's new Space Launch System for liftoff. (Image Credit: YoutTube/NASA)

By Derek Cornet

historic mission

Space enthusiasts excited as Canadian set to circle the moon

Mar 31, 2026 | 4:31 PM

Humans will be headed back to the moon on Wednesday as part of NASA’s Artemis II mission if everything goes as planned.  

It will include Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, who will become the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit, if the mission is successful. The 10-day lunar flyby mission is designed to test deep space systems and pave the way for future moon landings. 

The spacecraft is currently scheduled to launch on Wednesday at 6:24 p.m. EDT from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will mark the first time humanity has been to the moon in more than 50 years.  

“The vehicle is ready, the system is ready, the crew is ready,” said Amit Kshatriva, an associate administrator from NASA at a press conference on Monday.     

“Behind this flight stands a campaign. Landings, a lunar base, a nuclear propulsion into deep space that begins, not ends, with what happens on Wednesday evening. I have complete confidence in this team and the NASA workforce.” 

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historic mission

Space enthusiasts excited as Canadian set to circle the moon

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The mission is generating a renewed sense of excitement for many Canadians, including Air Ronge’s Scott Bell.  

Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen. (Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)

Bell has had a lifelong passion for astronomy ever since he lived near a rocket range in Churchill, Man., as a child. He spent more than two decades visiting schools throughout Saskatchewan, educating students through the use of telescopes and a unique portable planetarium.  

Bell explained this is an exciting time for space enthusiasts as “a Canadian specialist carrying our hopes and dreams beyond Earth, providing leadership and heroism to our up and coming explorers and engineers.” 

“What an amazing visual trip we will all be on traveling from Earth to the moon and back with today’s technologies, along with the spacecraft and crew,” he said.  

“These four people will see the full disk of the Earth suspended in space … and the far side of our moon, the side that never faces the Earth and none of us on Earth will ever lay eyes on.” 

As a way to celebrate the historic mission, Bell is inviting community members to the municipal park along De Havilland Street. He will have a telescope pointed at the moon at around 5:30 p.m. and residents are invited to take a peek.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com