Expert insight: Jeremy Hansen retires, but Canada will still support NASA’s return to the moon
After astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s July 6 retirement, Western geologist Gordon Osinski outlines Canada’s continuing Artemis roles, including a lead CAPCOM post and a robotic lunar vehicle.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen announced his retirement from the Canadian Space Agency on July 6, 2026. Gordon Osinski, a Western professor of earth and planetary science who has trained Hansen in geology for 15 years, reviews his legacy in a piece first published in The Conversation.
Hansen flew on Artemis II alongside NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, becoming the first Canadian to travel to the moon. The crew reached 406,773 kilometres from Earth, a record. Osinski notes that Hansen grew up on a farm near London, Ont.
Canada still has roles ahead. Astronaut Jenni Gibbons is lead CAPCOM for Artemis III, now a low-Earth-orbit test flight, and Canada is contributing a robotic Lunar Utility Vehicle. Osinski serves on the Artemis Lunar Surface Science Team for Artemis IV and V.
Joshua Kutryk is due to launch to the International Space Station on Crew 13 in a matter of months.
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