Artemis II crew returns safely, marking historic first lunar mission for Canadian astronaut

The crew of Artemis II splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on Friday, capping a nearly 10-day mission that marked a historic milestone for Canada’s role in human spaceflight.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, alongside NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, returned aboard the Orion spacecraft at 8:07 p.m. ET after completing a lunar flyby mission that travelled more than 1.1 million kilometres.

The mission made Hansen the first Canadian to participate in a crewed lunar mission, a milestone officials said reflects decades of investment in Canada’s space programme and its collaboration with NASA.

Jeremy Hansen is assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard USS John P. Murtha. Photo: NASA

During the mission, the crew orbited Earth, travelled to the Moon over four days, conducted a lunar flyby and returned to Earth at speeds reaching 35 times the speed of sound. They also carried out scientific activities and observed previously unseen regions of the Moon.

On the ground, Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons served as capsule communicator (CAPCOM), maintaining direct contact with the crew throughout the mission.

Officials said the dual role of Canadian astronauts in space and on the ground underscores the country’s growing expertise in space exploration, particularly in robotics and mission operations.

"Artemis II has been an amazing, profound, and beautiful experience, but also very humbling," said Hansen.

The mission is the first crewed flight of NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the Moon and lay the groundwork for future missions to Mars.

The Canadian Space Agency said Artemis II builds on Canada’s long-standing contributions to international space missions, noting that the country has now sent 10 astronauts on 18 missions.

The successful return of the crew is seen as a key step toward upcoming Artemis missions, including planned lunar landings later this decade.