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Artemis II Crew Welcomed Across Canada as Government Emphasizes Space Push

The tour highlights plans to build Canadian space capability, including a path to homegrown launches.

The Artemis II crew spoke in Ottawa, Ontario, on May 13, 2026, to discuss the mission with local space fans. From left to right: Backup astronaut Jenni Gibbons and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, and mission specialist Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover and commander Reid Wiseman of NASA.
Astronauts of the Artemis II mission, left to right, Artemis capsule communicator Jenni Gibbons, mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist Christina Koch, Commander Reid Wiseman and pilot Victor Glover take part in a question and answer event at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, alongside his crewmates — NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, held a Q&A the NAC in Ottawa on their first trip to Canada since the mission.
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Overview

  • The four-astronaut team met Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa on Wednesday, then drew a sold-out crowd at the National Arts Centre to recount their lunar flyby, including a rare 53-minute solar eclipse seen only from space.
  • During the visit, Jeremy Hansen gave Carney a maple leaf patch that flew on Orion, and Carney presented commemorative coins and the Peace Tower flag from the day of splashdown.
  • At Canadian Space Agency headquarters in Longueuil on Thursday, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly hosted a welcome and reaffirmed federal investment as the crew and capcom Jenni Gibbons engaged staff and local Air Cadets.
  • Speaking in Montreal on Friday, the astronauts shared lessons on risk, training and teamwork with the city’s business community.
  • Officials and crew framed the mission’s impact as a springboard for Canadian capability, pointing to a proposed Space Launch Act to authorize homegrown launches and to support future lunar work in robotics and logistics.