TORONTO – A Canadian astronaut will be part of the first manned mission to the moon on the US space program in more than 50 years in 2023.
“It’s official! Canada will join the United States in the first manned mission to the Moon in over 50 years! Canadian Science and Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a tweet.
The astronaut will be part of the Artemis II mission, which will be the first mission to take people to the moon since the last US Apollo mission in 1972. Artemis II will not land on the lunar surface, but will enter orbit, according to the Canadian Space Agency website.
The mission is part of the U.S.-led effort, Lunar Gateway, to build a small space station in lunar orbit. Canada will contribute with Canadarm3, a robotic arm similar to previous contributions to the U.S. space shuttle program.