TORONTO -- A Canadian astronaut will be part of the U.S space program鈥檚 first crewed mission to the moon in more than 50 years in 2023.
鈥淚t's official! Canada will join the U.S. on the first crewed mission to the moon in over 50 years!鈥� Canadian Minister of Innovation Science and Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a Tweet.
The astronaut will be part of the Artemis II mission, which will be the first mission carrying people to the moon since the last U.S. Apollo mission in 1972. Artemis II will not land on the lunar surface, but will enter orbit, according to the Canadian Space Agency website.
The mission is part of the U.S.-led Lunar Gateway endeavor, to build a small space station in lunar orbit. Canada will contribute Canadarm3, a robotic arm similar to past contributions to the U.S. space shuttle program.
