Jeremy Hansen to fly on Artemis 2 and orbit the Moon

Canada's Jeremy Hansen is one of four astronauts on Artemis 2, planned as the first human mission to travel around the Moon since 1972; distance, cost and shifting political priorities are cited as the main reasons for the long gap.

Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian astronaut, is part of the four-person crew scheduled to fly on Artemis 2, NASA's planned return to lunar vicinity after more than five decades. The last time humans orbited the Moon was December 1972. Since Apollo, crewed missions have remained in low Earth orbit. Experts and historical accounts point to distance, cost and changing political priorities as central reasons the Moon was not revisited sooner. Key facts: - Artemis 2 will fly around the far side of the Moon and return to Earth, with the mission lasting about 10 days and completing one lunar loop before heading home. - Four astronauts are assigned: commander Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen; reporting highlights that this crew includes several firsts in representation for a lunar mission. - The last human mission around the Moon occurred in December 1972; since then, crewed activity has been limited to low Earth orbit platforms such as the International Space Station. - Distance and cost are major factors: the Moon is roughly three days away and more than a thousand times farther from Earth than low Earth orbit, and historical estimates place the Apollo program at roughly $20–30 billion then (often cited as about $200–300 billion after inflation). - Estimates for the Artemis program have varied; one past estimate put program costs around $93 billion and NASA estimated a cost per Artemis launch at $4.1 billion in 2021. Planned follow-ups include Artemis 3 in 2027 to test lunar landers and Artemis 4 in early 2028 to return crew to the surface. Summary: Artemis 2 would be the first human trip around the Moon since 1972 if it launches as planned, and it features a four-person crew that includes Canada's Jeremy Hansen. The long interval since Apollo is explained in reporting as a mix of greater technical distance, high expense, and shifting national priorities. NASA's near-term plan, as reported, points to Artemis 3 and then Artemis 4 as sequential steps toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface and building sustained operations there.