Astronaut Jeremy Hansen fields kids’ queries, 100 days from Artemis II launch opening

A Canadian astronaut will have a front row seat to the first mission to the moon since 1972.

LONGUEUIL — Jeremy Hansen is on the cusp of embarking on a historic deep space mission to the moon, admitting to some inquisitive students Thursday that while the unknowns present a scary prospect, some risks are worth it.

Hansen was asked about his fears as he took questions from Grade 5 and 6 students from St. Jude Elementary School on Montreal's South Shore about the Artemis 2 mission around the moon.

"What helps me with that is that I have learned to trust myself and to trust others," Hansen, 49, of London, Ont., said at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters in Longueuil, Que.

"And I have no guarantee of the outcome: you can die in space just like you can die here on Earth, but what I do believe is that we have been very smart about our approach."

The Canadian and his NASA astronaut crewmates could launch their roughly 10-day sojourn around the moon and back as early as February 2026.

The first crewed mission of the Artemis program is also the first mission to the moon by astronauts since the last Apollo mission in 1972 and is also Hansen’s first-ever mission in space.

Hansen would become the first non-American to travel beyond the lower Earth orbit.

The team, which includes veteran NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, have been training for more than two years and will travel aboard the Orion spacecraft they've named “Integrity.”

There are plans and backup plans and contingencies in place, Hansen told the students. The most likely outcome will be landing in the Pacific Ocean at the end.

"But we also know there's a risk," Hansen added. "And the thing that you should remember is that if you're taking risks in your life, they have to be for a good reason, and we think this risk is for a good reason.

"We think it's pushing humanity forward and therefore we should take it."

Artemis 2 mission is "very much a stepping-stone to future missions," Hansen said. Artemis 3 aims to land astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, this time on the moon’s South Pole.

NASA also plans an Artemis 4 mission to begin assembly of the Gateway lunar space station, a small outpost that would orbit the moon and be fitted with Canadarm 3 robotics.

Hansen emphasized that Canada earned its spot thanks to its ambition and vision. Various robotic contributions like Canadarm have opened doors for Canadian astronauts to partake in missions.

Hansen noted the International Space Station celebrates a milestone this year: 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the orbiting station, located about 400 kilometres above the Earth.

The moon presents another challenge when it comes to resupplying. Hansen's own mission inside a spacecraft the size of a camper van means supplies have to fit inside its tight confines.

"If the objective is to go to the moon and stay there, establishing a permanent settlement on the moon or space stations around the moon, the distance is a thousand times farther than the International Space Station," Hansen said.

"If humanity aims to go to Mars, that distance is another thousand times further than the moon."

As for the student's question about foodstuff: "if we get to space and the food's not loaded, that was a big oversight and we're in big trouble," Hansen joked.

Hansen was accompanied by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, making her first visit to the agency since being named to head the department.

Joly said it's a key moment for the space agency as Canada intends to increase defence spending over the next decade.

That includes dealing with threats to the country but also health threats, pandemics, climate change and disasters like wildfires, she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2025.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press