Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen announces space agency retirement weeks after historic moon mission - CNN

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who captivated the world when he flew around the moon alongside three American crewmates during the Artemis II mission in April, said Monday that he would step back from a full-time astronaut role in September.

In a social media post, Hansen said the move was “far from a departure,” as he would transition to serve as a reservist member of the Royal Canadian Air Force in a deliberate move “to leave the door open for creative, ongoing ways to support and enable the vital work happening in Canada with respect to space.”

In a statement, the Canadian Space Agency said that Hansen will “pursue new professional opportunities” and praised his “leadership, dedication and professionalism.”

“Through his work with CSA, NASA and other partners, he contributed to a historic new chapter for Canada in space,” the statement reads. “He also inspired Canadians across the country, especially young people, helping them see themselves in the future of exploration.”

Neither Hansen nor the space agency specified what opportunities he may explore after stepping back in the fall.

Hansen’s departure will leave CSA with three active astronauts, including David Saint-Jacques, Joshua Kutryk and Jenni Gibbons.

“On behalf of all Canadians, I extend my gratitude to Canadian Space Agency astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen for his extraordinary service to Canada and his remarkable contributions to space exploration,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement that also praised the astronaut’s history as a fighter pilot and his history-making foray with the Artemis II mission that “united millions of Canadians around a single mission.”

‘A significant next step’

Hansen noted in his social media post that his decision came “after 32 years of military service and 17 years as a Canadian Space Agency astronaut —culminating in the incredible privilege of flying around the Moon on Artemis II.” He described his decision as one that would allow him to take a “significant next step” in his career.

Hansen’s wife, Catherine, wrote in a social media comment that “anyone who knows my husband, you’ll know he’s not done. Not even close.”

“This decision to join the military reserves is actually an expansion of his role in the Canadian space sector and a way to ensure he can focus on meeting the demands of a rising Canada and share in collaborative partnerships toward a common goal,” she wrote, without specifying a potential role.

Hansen was the only international astronaut to fly aboard the Artemis II mission in April. It became the first journey humans had taken to the vicinity of the moon in more than 50 years and set a record for the farthest into space humans have ever traveled at 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers).

In pictures: The historic Artemis II moon mission

Hansen flew alongside NASA’s Reid Wiseman, a Navy test pilot who served as commander of the mission; Victor Glover, a naval test pilot who became the first Black person to travel to deep space; and Christina Koch, an engineer and record-holding astronaut who became the first woman to venture to the moon.

Wiseman shared images from time spent with Hansen over the years on Instagram. “Jeremy and I have been on this journey for 17 years,” Wiseman noted, calling Hansen one of his closest friends.

Wiseman said Hansen’s character has never changed. “He’s thoughtful, humble, steady under pressure, and the kind of person who makes everyone around him better. Those are the qualities that make him an incredible crewmate and an even better friend.”

Wiseman said that he was proud to watch Hansen’s next chapter unfold.

During their 10-day trip, Koch, Wiseman, Glover and Hansen routinely shared live footage of themselves aboard the 16.5-foot-wide (5-meter) Orion capsule. It was Hansen who shared during a live broadcast from the mission that the crew wished to name a crater on the lunar surface after Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll, visibly getting emotional and bringing the crew together for one of the most memorable moments from Artemis II.

Upon their return, Hansen said that the human experience was an extraordinary one for him and his crewmates and relished that spectators across the world seemed to share in their excitement.