NASA has announced possible launch dates for the Artemis II mission, which will include Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The agency has identified several roughly two-hour launch windows beginning Feb. 6 until the end of April.
The first crewed mission of the Artemis program is also the first journey to the moon by astronauts since 1972 — and Hansen’s first mission in space.
The 49-year-old Hansen, who is from London, Ont., would become the first non-American to travel beyond the low Earth orbit.
The Orion spacecraft, named "Integrity" by the four-person crew, will travel around the moon before returning to Earth over a roughly 10-day stretch.
The mission is the first crewed flight for Orion and officials warn that delays are possible.
The Artemis I mission, which did not have a crew, was delayed three times because of technical issues and poor weather before it launched in November 2022 for a 25-day mission.
NASA announced last week the rollout of the spacecraft to the launch pad could begin as early as this weekend.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
