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

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

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.

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.