Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the crew of the historic Artemis II mission to Ottawa on Wednesday as Canada celebrated the astronauts’ groundbreaking journey around the far side of the moon.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen joined fellow Artemis II crew members Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch for a series of events in the nation’s capital following their successful 10-day mission.
The Artemis II crew traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history during the lunar flyby mission, capturing global attention and reigniting excitement about deep-space exploration.
During a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, Carney praised the astronauts for inspiring Canadians and advancing international cooperation in space exploration.
“This is as far as any people had gone into space, but it was risk for a reason and risk to set up even bigger opportunities,” Carney said before a private discussion with the crew. “We’re going to have a chance to talk about that.”
Hansen said Artemis II represents only the beginning of humanity’s renewed push toward lunar and deep-space missions.
“Artemis II is just a step on a much longer journey for us, and like you we can’t wait to be part of what’s next,” Hansen told the prime minister.
Also participating in the Ottawa visit was Jenni Gibbons, who worked as part of the support team at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston during the mission.
As part of the ceremony, Carney presented the astronauts with commemorative silver coins featuring an astronaut image alongside King Charles III. Hansen also received the Canadian flag that flew atop Ottawa’s Peace Tower on the day the Artemis II capsule splashed down off the California coast.
In return, Hansen gifted Carney a framed Canadian mission patch that traveled aboard the Artemis II spacecraft. The patch was displayed over a photograph of Earth captured from the far side of the moon and signed by all four crew members.
The astronauts are also scheduled to participate in a sold-out public discussion at National Arts Centre focused on the future of lunar exploration and Canada’s role in upcoming NASA missions.
The next major lunar mission, Artemis III, is currently planned for next year and is expected to pave the way for Artemis IV mission in 2028, which aims to return astronauts to the moon’s surface.
