Astronaut Jeremy Hansen fields kids' queries ahead of Artemis II launch opening

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen speaks about his upcoming Artemis II mission during an event at the Canadian Space Agency, in Longueuil, Que., on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

LONGUEUIL — Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is set to embark on a historic deep space mission to the moon, says he believes the goal of pushing humanity forward is well worth the risk he faces.

Months ago, he took some candid questions from a group of inquisitive students about the Artemis II mission. He said while the unknowns present a scary prospect, some risks are worthwhile.

Hansen was asked in October about his fears by Grade 5 and 6 students from St. Jude Elementary School on Montreal’s South Shore, who were gathered for an event at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters in Longueuil, Que.

“What helps me with that is that I have learned to trust myself and to trust others,” Hansen said at the time.

“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.”

If there are no problems Wednesday, Hansen will serve as the mission specialist for Artemis II and become the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit.

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. It is also Hansen’s first-ever mission in space.

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, backup plans and contingencies in place and the most likely outcome is a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at the end, Hansen told the students in October.

“But we also know there’s a risk,” he 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.”

The Artemis II mission is “very much a stepping-stone to future missions,” Hansen said. Artemis III 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 IV 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 said Canada earned its spot on the mission through its ambition and vision. Various robotic contributions like Canadarm have opened doors for Canadian astronauts to partake in missions.

The moon presents another challenge when it comes to resupplying. Hansen will be travelling in a spacecraft the size of a camper van and the crew’s 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 at the October event.

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

One student asked a question about food supplies.

“If we get to space and the food’s not loaded, that was a big oversight and we’re in big trouble,” Hansen joked.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2026.