Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to astronauts on the Artemis II mission on Wednesday, celebrating the first Canadian to fly around the moon and marking a lighter moment in U.S.-Canadian relations that have been strained under U.S. President Donald Trump.
Jeremy Hansen, a 50-year-old Royal Canadian Air Force colonel, is the first non-U.S. citizen to fly on a lunar mission. He is joining three U.S. astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission, a lunar flyby and a key step in a programme aiming to return astronauts to the moon’s surface by 2028, ahead of China.
"Canadians are so proud of what you're doing and the collaboration. And I,.. just want to have a chance, if I may, I mean, I'm thrilled. I'm absolutely thrilled to be speaking with you, Jeremy and the crew," Carney told Hansen.
"We've all been watching and inspired by what you're doing. And I just want to, you know, I'm conscious, I spoke to the president (Donald Trump), the other day. I think he may have mentioned just how proud we are to to be associated with this mission," he added.
The prime minister also joked that Canadians hoped the preference was for maple syrup over Nutella on pancakes in the morning, following the viral moment when cameras caught a jar of Nutella floating through the microgravity inside the capsule. The maple leaf is Canada's national symbol.
“And I just wonder, a lot of Canadians just want at one point of reassurance that the preference is for maple syrup over Nutella on your pancakes in the morning. (CREW LAUGHING) I’ll take that as a yes,” he said.
"Canadians couldn't be more proud of you personally, about this mission and our collaboration with the United States. So thank you for making the time and Godspeed and enjoy the rest of the mission. And we'll look forward to seeing you here at at some point in Canada. For maple syrup on pancakes,” Carney said at the end of the call.
Hansen, who promised to bring Carney a Canadian flag he brought on board, was selected for Canada’s astronaut corps in 2009, and his role on Artemis II reflects long-standing U.S.-Canadian partnership in human spaceflight. He also spoke of the value of risk-taking in space and on Earth.
"As a country, we have to be willing to have some failures," Hansen said. "And we fail in this space programme, but we just assure ourselves we're not going to stay or rest in those failures. We're going to push through them," said Hansen, who also took questions from Canadian school children.
The 10-day mission is due to end with the space capsule's splashdown near San Diego on Friday.
The mission coincides with tense trade relations between the two countries after Trump raised tariffs on Canadian goods and repeatedly suggested that Canada consider becoming the 51st state.
The record-breaking lunar flyby has offered a moment of positive attention for the United States at a time of heightened international tension over U.S strikes on Iran, tariffs, and disruptions to global institutions.
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Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 7 April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The four astronauts aboard Artemis II briefly lost contact with Earth while flying behind the Moon, then regained it during a dramatic lunar far-side flyby.
The crew of Artemis II mission are entering a pivotal phase of their journey, as they prepare to swing around the Moon and head back towards Earth. Now on the fifth day of their 10-day mission, the four astronauts are already witnessing views no human has ever seen.
The 4-person crew in the Orion capsule on NASA's Artemis II space shuttle carried out a key thruster firing on Thursday, sending the ship past the main orbit of the Earth towards the moon, in the hope of beating Apollo 13's distance in 1970, as they took pictures using phones and cameras.
China and Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Tuesday aimed at coordinating defensive efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving no agreed international framework for securing the vital route.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it had stopped firing on northern Israel and Israeli forces on Wednesday as part of a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East brokered between the United States and Iran. However, a Hezbollah lawmaker warned that the pause could collapse if Tel Aviv does not adhere to it.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Iran and the United States, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate two-week ceasefire covering all areas, but Israel says the deal excludes Lebanon. Tel Aviv says the U.S. is committed to achieving shared goals in upcoming negotiations.
Recent U.S. complaints about NATO allies and threats to quit the alliance are pushing European countries to seek alternative security arrangements, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Tuesday.
A train driver has died and several passengers have been injured after a high-speed train collided with an army lorry carrying military equipment at a level crossing in northern France on Tuesday morning (7 April), the local prefecture and railway operators said in separate statements.
The four astronauts aboard Artemis II briefly lost contact with Earth while flying behind the Moon, then regained it during a dramatic lunar far-side flyby.
The crew of Artemis II mission are entering a pivotal phase of their journey, as they prepare to swing around the Moon and head back towards Earth. Now on the fifth day of their 10-day mission, the four astronauts are already witnessing views no human has ever seen.
The 4-person crew in the Orion capsule on NASA's Artemis II space shuttle carried out a key thruster firing on Thursday, sending the ship past the main orbit of the Earth towards the moon, in the hope of beating Apollo 13's distance in 1970, as they took pictures using phones and cameras.
Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China.
NASA is preparing to launch Artemis II with four astronauts on a roughly 10-day mission around the Moon, marking its most ambitious human spaceflight in decades and a key step towards returning astronauts to the lunar surface ahead of China.
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