‘Canada has a lot to offer’: Artemis staff exploring the Canadian landscape – National
The Artemis II crew that made the longest spacewalk in human history last month say their journey showed Canada has “a lot to offer” in next month’s exploration.
The crew first met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Wednesday morning in his office, followed by 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 Center in Ottawa.
“This is like any people who have entered space, but it was dangerous for a reason and the risk of stopping even greater opportunities. We will have the opportunity to talk about that,” said Carney in public comments before his private meeting with employees.
Reid Wiseman, Artemis II mission commander, said in an interview that it was “very, very important” for the crew to visit Canada.
“Canada has a lot to offer as we go to the moon for a long time. [Hansen] and the prime minister is speaking, you [Canadians] they are all doing exactly what we need to do on the lunar surface,” he said.
“You are burdened by technology, you are burdened by people, you are burdened by culture, you have these areas of your nation that you must serve so that people can live, you need to get food. […] clothing, accommodation there [to the moon],” he continued.
“All the things you do here and the way you all take care of each other and take care of each other is exactly what we need as we begin to have a sustainable presence on the lunar surface.”
Jeremy Hansen, a mission technician and the only Canadian aboard the Artemis II mission, also talked about what it was like.
“I didn’t think very deliberately about how to take Canada into space, but Canada went very far into space, and I rode on your shoulders,” he said.
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“We talk a lot now in the news, in Canada and the US, but we know that the intentions are good,” he said.
“That love, that interdependence is real. And that’s what we have in this team. We just show that.”
Canada begins building independent space capabilities
The Minister of Transport, Steven MacKinnon, announced the Canadian Space Launch Act on April 21, saying that Canada needs to be able to launch its space without relying on the US for its lunar capabilities.
The announcement came 11 days after the Artemis II crew crashed into the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, aboard the capsule Integrity.
MacKinnon said the purpose of the act is to “authorize, control and oversee the introduction of domestic and re-entry facilities” in the future.
“This action will bring Canadian space launch capabilities,” he said, adding that Canada “could create a commercial industry right here in Canada” worth $40 billion.
“We express our full and powerful power.”
Canada is the only country in the G7 without its own space launch capability, which MacKinnon said saw the country “relying on foreign countries, usually the United States, to get Canadian satellites into orbit.”
MacKinnon also said the Artemis II mission “sparked renewed hope and wonder in millions of Canadians.”
“It reminded us all to look up and think about what’s possible and think about the future we can shape together,” she said. “Canada is poised to continue its legacy as a leader in spaceflight.”
The Artemis III mission is scheduled to take place next year, ahead of the Artemis IV mission in 2028 that will return astronauts to the lunar surface.
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