This Londoner will be the first non-American to venture into deep space

London Ont. born astronaut and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen spoke with thousands of high school students across the country on Thursday about the upcoming Artemis II mission.

Hansen’s first brush with the stars traces back to his roots in London, where he joined the 614 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron at the age of 12.

He earned his pilot licence at just 17 years old and joined the military where he earned a bachelor’s degree in honours space science from the Royal Military College of Canada.

Hansen would be the first Canadian ever to fly into deep space if the mission goes as planned.

Hansen was also the first Canadian entrusted to lead a NASA astronaut class, in charge of training astronaut candidates from Canada and the United States.

Four astronauts will fly the Artemis II mission, (L-R) Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Pilot Victor Glover, Commaner Reid Wiseman, and Mission Specialist Christina Hammock Koch. (Source: NASA)

The 10-day Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch by next September and will see four astronauts orbit around the moon to test the latest technology against the harsh environment of deep space.

All of the astronauts selected for Artemis II besides Hansen are American.

Hansen shared his excitement about the foray into space exploration, “Canada will be the first, or sorry, the second country in the world to send a human into deep space and that is because we are part of a big goal.”

Hansen spoke with thousands of students across Canada via video call on Thursday, October 24 (Source: Let's Talk Science)

The opportunity for Canada to be the second country ever to venture into deep space was provided through a lengthy partnership with NASA, to work on technologies and solutions for space exploration and long-term lunar presence.

“Canada earned its right or this opportunity to be on this mission of sending the second human into deep space from another country other than the U.S.,” said Hansen. “That's an extraordinary compliment to our country.”

NASA officials say the flight should build toward a long-term presence on the moon, and beyond.