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Colonel Jeremy Roger Hansen

Canadian Space Agency

Why Was a Canadian Chosen as One of the Astronauts on the Latest Artemis Space Mission?

Published 12:13 PDT, Wed April 22, 2026

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Canada, a global leader in space robotics, has partnered with NASA for decades by providing key robotic systems like Canadarm and Canadarm2; through the Canadian Space Agency, Canada is contributing the next-generation robotic system, called Canadarm3, developed with MDA Space Ltd., for NASA’s Lunar Gateway as part of the Artemis program. In part of this contribution to deep-space exploration infrastructure, Canada secured astronaut flight opportunities on Artemis missions, leading to Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s assignment to Artemis II.

So when NASA’s Artemis II mission carried astronauts around the Moon, one of them was Colonel Jeremy Hansen, a Royal Canadian Air Force colonel and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut—a milestone tied directly to technology built in part by MDA Space Ltd., a company with operations in our very own city of Richmond. On April 1, 2026, he became the first Canadian astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit and journey to the vicinity of the moon.

Canada’s role in the mission comes from its contribution of Canadarm3, a next-generation robotic system designed for the lunar-orbiting Gateway station. As part of this contribution to the Gateway, Canada secured astronaut flights, including a seat for Jeremy Hansen, who became the first Canadian to travel to the Moon’s vicinity.

MDA, headquartered in Brampton, Ont., is leading the Canadarm3 project under contract from the Canadian Space Agency. The system is expected to perform maintenance, repairs, and a wide variety of support tasks on Gateway, using both advanced autonomous technology and expert human operations.

While the company’s primary robotics work is based in Ontario, MDA maintains a notable presence in our very own city of Richmond. Founded in B.C. in 1969, MDA’s Richmond location is actually home to its Earth and Space Observation business segment. With five locations across Canada and 3,800 employees globally, MDA Space continues to advance next-generation technologies in robotics, satellite systems, and space exploration.

The Artemis program brings together international partners in space exploration, including Canada’s contribution through its robotic systems. Through programs such as Canadarm, Canada has built a long-standing role in space robotics, which continues today with Canadarm3 being developed for NASA’s Gateway program. This work builds on decades of Canadian expertise in space robotics and has positioned our country as a key partner in lunar exploration.

For Richmondites, it’s a local link to MDA’s mission—“to build the space between proven and possible”—a branch of a company here in our own community can be part of something this extraordinary: helping carry humanity’s reach all the way to the Moon.

For references and to keep up with this spacefaring journey, please visit the websites of:

MDA Space Ltd. — information on Canadarm3, its capabilities, and MDA’s role in the Gateway program. MDA Space is a member of the Lunar Dawn team that NASA selected to start development of a human-rated Moon rover, which is a key part of NASA's Artemis mission. For further information go to: Space Exploration & Infrastructure | MDA Space mda.space › space-exploration-and-infrastructure

Canadian Space Agency — details on Canada’s contribution to Gateway, the Canadarm3 agreement, and astronaut assignments including Jeremy Hansen

NASA — official information on the Artemis program and Artemis II mission