For Immediate Release
April 3, 2023
Statement from U.S. Ambassador to Canada David L. Cohen on the Announcement of the Artemis II Crew
Today is an exciting day in the long-standing U.S.-Canada space relationship, as Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen was named as part of the binational team that will crew the Artemis II Mission. We are proud to have Jeremy join American astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch on this important mission. With Artemis II, Canadian and U.S. astronauts will set a new record for the farthest human travel in space, going beyond the far side of the Moon.
Jeremy Hansen has long been a valued U.S. Embassy partner, especially during our celebrations in 2019 of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission. His collaboration with our Embassy team has already deepened U.S.-Canada space cooperation and helped to inspire future astronauts and STEM professionals in both our countries.
NASA’s Artemis program is exceptional in its commitment to be the broadest and most diverse international human space exploration coalition in history. The Artemis Program seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon and conduct a historic first crewed mission to Mars. We are thrilled to have Canada by our side as we take this giant leap forward toward the next great frontier.
As President Joe Biden said in his address to the Canadian Parliament on March 24, “Here on Earth, our children who watch that flight are going to learn the names of those new pioneers. They’ll be the ones who carry us into the future we hope to build. The Artemis generation.”
Congratulations to Jeremy and to the Canadian Space Agency on this extraordinary partnership.
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Molly Sanchez Crowe
Embassy Spokesperson
U.S. Embassy Ottawa
Sanchezcrowemm@state.gov
