The federal government has announced that Canada will join the U.S. on the first crewed mission around the moon in over 50 years.
This mission will make Canada the second country to send an astronaut into deep space. It’s worth noting that the trip will not consist of an actual moon landing.
The mission, which is called ‘Artemis II,’ is planned for 2023 and is part of a larger U.S.-led effort to construct a space station that will be known as the ‘Lunar Gateway.’
“It will provide a living space for astronauts, research laboratories, and a mission control for future human exploration of the moon,” said Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains regarding the space station, during the announcement on December 16th.
The agreement between the two countries includes plans for a second flight for a Canadian astronaut to travel to the future space station.
“The exact duration of the mission has yet to be confirmed, but should be about 10 days. The flight path for Artemis II involves a mission duration of at least eight days. Mission planners could extend the journey to a maximum of three weeks, depending on other objectives,” the government notes.
During this mission, the crew will set a record for the farthest human travel beyond the far side of the moon. The mission will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The federal government has not disclosed how much the trip will cost.
Image credit: NASA
