Jeremy Hansen's historic space mission sends his hometown fans 'over the moon'

As southwestern Ontario native Jeremy Hansen prepares to become the first Canadian astronaut to fly to the moon, residents from his hometown will proudly cheer him on.

Hansen, originally from Ailsa Craig, northwest of London, will be part of NASA's Artemis II mission which could be off to space in as little as one week. The mission will make Canada the second country in the world to send a human into deep space.

Artemis II will send Hansen and his American crewmates around the far side of the moon, to go farther into deep space than any human has ever gone before.

"It's going to be a huge moment," said Gordon Osinski, a professor of earth sciences at Western University. "I think it will go right up there in the history of the Canadian Space Program."

During the 10-day trip, the crew will gather scientific data to test the limits of their rocket and their own human endurance to prepare for future moon missions, including Artemis III, which will see astronauts actually landing on the moon.

As of now, the earliest opportunity for launch is Feb. 8, but the exact date will depend on weather conditions.

Hansen's historic achievements have touched many in the London-area. From the student body of his alma mater, to a local singer and a Western University geologist, here's how the community has been preparing for the launch.

Current students and staff at Hansen's former high school, Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute (IDCI) will be following the mission closely.

"The school is over the moon," that one of their alumni is heading to space, said Phil Raven, head of the English Department.

"We had to do something big, something Hansen would notice. The excitement has been infectious."

One of the school's first ideas dates back to 2023, when Hansen's involvement in the mission was announced. They took a drone shot of all students on the field in the shape of the moon with stars around it.

Copies of the photo were shared with Hansen and in return, he sent them a signed photo of himself with a message for the students. They're hoping he will take a copy of the school photo on the mission, Raven said.

Raven and fellow teacher Jennifer Rowe have also started the Artemis IDCI Explorers Club to cheer on their local hero.

The club has also built a Lego set of the Artemis rocket together and created a social media account to keep students up to date on the mission.