Photographers set up remote cameras near NASA's Artermis II moon rocket on Launch Pad 39-B just before sunrise at the Kennedy Space Center Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

By The Canadian Press

Canadians gathering at museums, libraries to watch Artemis II moon launch

Apr 1, 2026 | 2:00 AM

OTTAWA — Canadians across the country are assembling today to watch the Artemis II launch, which is set to send humans back to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

The first two-hour launch window opens at 6:24 p.m. ET, with a six-day launch window running through April 6.

People across Canada are gathering at historical sites, museums, libraries and arts centres to watch the launch.

In Vancouver, people are meeting at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, while Halifax residents plan to watch the launch from the Discovery Centre.

If there are no problems today, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen of London, Ont., will serve as the mission specialist for Artemis II and become the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit.

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The nearly 10-day mission will take the astronauts to the moon and back but won’t land them on the lunar surface.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2026.

—With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press