Hansen, Artemis II crew to meet with Carney during event-filled day in Ottawa

From left, NASA's Artemis II astronauts Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman prepare to ring the closing bell at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York on Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

OTTAWA — The astronauts who captured the world’s imagination during a journey to the far side of the moon last month will bring their space lore to Ottawa today.

Canadian Jeremy Hansen and his Artemis II crewmates have a series of events in the capital, including a scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The 10-day mission took Hansen, mission commander Reid Wiseman and astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, farther from Earth than any humans before them.

Following their meeting with Carney, the crew will then visit the Canadian Museum of Nature to meet with some area school students.

Hansen and his crewmates are also scheduled to take part in a sold-out public discussion about their mission to the far side of the moon and its impact on the future of space exploration at the National Arts Centre later in the day.

They will be joined by Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons, who was part of the team at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston during Artemis II’s journey.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press