Two CSA Astronauts Will Join Artemis II and Starliner-1 J Missions

Two CSA astronauts will join the two NASA-owned missions (photo: CSA)

JAKARTA - The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced that two of its astronauts will be part of a mission developed by the United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Delivered by the Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, the two astronauts are Jenni Gibbons and Joshua Kutryk who have joined CSA since 2017 and have completed basic training in 2020.

These two astronauts were not part of the same mission even though the mission was shared by CSA's partner, namely NASA. Jenni Gibbons will reportedly be a reserve astronaut for the Artemis II mission, the astronaut landing program on the Moon.

Even though the Artemis II mission will not land directly on the Moon, astronauts on this mission will orbit the moon while testing the systems and technology of the aircraft that will be used on Artemis III. This mission is planned to be launched next year.

Meanwhile, Astronaut Joshua Kutryk will join a six-month mission on the Space Station (ISS) using Boeing's Starliner-1 spacecraft. This mission was supposed to launch last year, but was postponed repeatedly until 2024.

Champagne said that Gibbons' duties should have been taken by Jeremy Hansen. However, the astronaut cannot be a reserve astronaut on Artemis II. Minister Champagne did not explain the reasons in more detail for this change.

“This assignment is a true testament to the impressive reputation our astronaut corps has. "From the International Space Station to the Moon, Jenni Gibbons and Joshua Kutryk will write an exciting new chapter in Canada's history in space," said Champagne.

The minister responsible for CSA said that Canadian astronauts had a good reputation. With the joining of Gibbons and Kutryk, the reputation of Canadian astronauts is expected to become even stronger.

Champagne also believes that, “Canadian astronauts (can become) modern-day explorers making them incredible role models for future Canadian scientists, engineers and explorers.”