We are going for all humanity
For the first time in more than half a century, human beings are traveling to the moon — and for the first time in history, one of them is not American. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen lifted off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Artemis II alongside three NASA colleagues, beginning a ten-day journey that will carry them around the lunar far side and test the systems that may one day return humanity to the surface. It is a mission that belongs, as Hansen himself declared at launch, to all of humanity — but it carries with it the particular weight of a nation finally sending one of its own beyond the horizon.
- For the first time since Apollo, a crewed spacecraft is breaking free of Earth's orbit — and the stakes for proving the Orion capsule's readiness could not be higher, with a lunar landing planned for 2028.
- Hansen's presence marks a historic rupture: no non-American has ever traveled beyond low Earth orbit, making this flight a threshold moment for both Canada and the international space community.
- Even in the first hours, the mission tested its crew — a toilet malfunction required improvised repairs in microgravity, a reminder that spaceflight's grandeur is inseparable from its unglamorous problem-solving.
- Canada's contribution runs deeper than one astronaut: space robotics, a lunar utility rover, and critical navigation and communications systems position the country as a structural partner in building a permanent moon presence.
- The trajectory is now locked in — Earth receding, the lunar far side approaching, and a new chapter in human exploration either beginning or being proven possible.
Jeremy Hansen was already in orbit when the sun rose over Florida. The Canadian astronaut had lifted off from Kennedy Space Center hours earlier aboard Artemis II, seated beside three veteran NASA astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch. As the rocket climbed through the atmosphere, Hansen offered words that carried across mission control and across Canada: "We are going for all humanity."
The mission's early hours were methodical — systems checks, orbital verification — before Thursday night's critical engine burn that would break the spacecraft free of Earth's gravity entirely. When that happened, Hansen would become the first non-American ever to travel beyond low Earth orbit, and the first Canadian to leave Earth's orbit altogether. A Royal Canadian Air Force officer for over thirty years, he was watched from the ground by Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, who called the moment emotional and described Hansen as a living demonstration of what hard work, professionalism, and genuine humanity can achieve.
The ten-day journey would carry the crew around the moon, over the far side of the lunar surface — terrain forever hidden from Earth, never before seen by human eyes from above. This was not a landing; that ambition belongs to 2028. Artemis II was the proof of concept, the test run on which everything else depends.
Canada's stake extended well beyond Hansen himself. The Canadian Space Agency contributed robotics, a lunar utility rover, and systems for power, navigation, and communications — technologies that will be essential to any sustainable moon presence. Agency president Lisa Campbell framed the mission as a demonstration of what international cooperation makes possible.
In the hours after launch, the crew conducted proximity operations drills and, less glamorously, repaired a malfunctioning toilet — plumbing improvised in microgravity, guided by Mission Control. By the time the main engine fired and the moon began to fill their windows, the problem was solved and the crew was committed. Earth was falling away. What lay ahead was something no human had ever seen, carried there by a nation that had waited a long time for this moment.
Jeremy Hansen was already in orbit when the sun rose over Florida on Wednesday. The Canadian astronaut had lifted off from Kennedy Space Center hours earlier aboard Artemis II, strapped into a spacecraft designed to carry humans farther from Earth than any of them had ever traveled. Beside him sat three veteran NASA astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch. As the rocket climbed through the atmosphere, Hansen spoke words that would echo through mission control and across Canada: "We are going for all humanity."
The first hours of the flight were methodical. Artemis II would circle Earth for now, its systems being tested and verified before the crew attempted the maneuver that would change everything. On Thursday night, they would fire the main engine and break free from Earth's orbit entirely. When that happened, Hansen would become the first non-American to venture beyond the boundary that has contained human spaceflight for decades. He would be the first Canadian to leave Earth's orbit.
Hansen has worn the uniform of the Royal Canadian Air Force for more than thirty years. He was watching from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday—Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, present to witness one of her own reach for the moon. She called the moment emotional and inspiring. "He's really just a wonderful demonstration of what it means to serve Canada," she said afterward. "He is such a good ambassador for Canada and demonstration of what hard work and professionalism and leadership and real humanity can do."
The journey ahead would take ten days. The spacecraft would loop around the moon, carrying its crew over terrain no human had ever seen from above—the far side of the lunar surface, forever hidden from Earth. This was not a landing. That would come later, if all went well. NASA's ambition is to put boots on the moon again by 2028, to establish a sustainable base there, to open what officials are calling a new economy in space. Artemis II was the test run, the proof of concept. Everything depended on it working.
Canada's stake in this mission extended beyond Hansen's presence. The Canadian Space Agency had contributed space robotics and technology that would be essential to lunar exploration—a lunar utility rover, systems for power generation, navigation, timing, and communications. Lisa Campbell, president of the Canadian Space Agency, framed the mission as a demonstration of what becomes possible when nations work together. "This is Jeremy's first space flight, so we're thrilled for him, but he also profoundly believes that this mission will help show the world the benefits of space flight," she said.
In the hours after launch, the crew was already working. They conducted a proximity operations test, manually piloting the Orion capsule the way they would if they were approaching another spacecraft for docking. It was routine training, the kind of thing that happens on every mission. Then something less routine occurred: the toilet malfunctioned. Mission Control walked the astronauts through a series of repairs—plumbing tricks performed in microgravity, the kind of problem-solving that defines spaceflight. By the time Thursday night arrived and the main engine fired, the lunar loo was working again.
Hansen and his crewmates were now committed to their trajectory. Earth was falling away. The moon was growing larger in their windows. In a decade, they would return. But first, they would see what no human had ever seen, and they would carry with them the hopes of a nation that had waited a long time to send one of its own beyond the horizon.
Notable Quotes
We are going for all humanity— Jeremy Hansen, before launch
He's really just a wonderful demonstration of what it means to serve Canada. He is such a good ambassador for Canada and demonstration of what hard work and professionalism and leadership and real humanity can do.— Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that Hansen is the first non-American to leave Earth orbit? Isn't that just a technicality?
It's not a technicality—it's a threshold. For sixty years, only Americans and Russians have crossed that line. Hansen crossing it means the world is genuinely opening up. It signals that space exploration is becoming a shared human endeavor, not a Cold War competition.
But he's still flying on an American spacecraft with American astronauts.
True. But that's the point. He's there as a full partner, not a guest. Canada contributed the technology, the expertise, the person. When the moon base gets built, Canadian systems will be running it. This mission is proving that works.
The toilet breaking—was that a real problem or just a funny detail?
It was real. In space, everything is a problem. But it's also a reminder that these missions are about people doing difficult work in an impossible environment. They fixed it. That matters.
What happens if something goes wrong on the way to the moon?
The crew has abort options. They can return to Earth at several points. But the whole mission is designed so that if the main engine fires and they commit to lunar orbit, they're committed. There's no turning back until they complete the loop.
Why 2028 for the landing? Why not sooner?
Because you have to test everything first. Artemis II is the test. If it works—if the Orion capsule performs, if the crew stays healthy, if all the systems hold—then they know what they're building toward. A lunar landing is the hardest thing humans have tried to do since the last time we did it, fifty years ago.