Artemis II crew gets hero’s welcome at Canadian Space Agency in Quebec

Crew answered questions from Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, members of public in Longueuil, Que.

Five people stand on stage in uniform — Astronauts of the Artemis II mission took part in a question and answer event at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on Wednesday. The group was welcomed at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters in Longueuil, Que., Thursday. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and the rest of the Artemis II crew have received a hero’s welcome at Canadian Space Agency (CSA) headquarters after their journey to the far side of the moon.

Hansen told a cheering crowd in Longueuil, Que., that many of the people in the room helped make the mission a success.

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.

Koch told the crowd that both she and Glover previously trained in Canada and that the CSA feels like home to them too.

The crew then answered questions from Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and members of the public alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons, who was part of the team at NASA’s Mission Control Center.

Wiseman said the international makeup of the Artemis II crew brought a diversity of perspectives that strengthened the mission and united the world.

Jeremy Hansen’s Artemis II crewmates sing his praises in Quebec

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s Artemis II crewmates sang his praises during an appearance at Canadian Space Agency headquarters in Quebec — hailing his expertise, humour and invaluable contributions to the first lunar mission in five decades. — Morgan Lowrie