Jeremy Hansen

First Canadian to Fly Around the Moon, Historic Artemis II Astronaut, and Royal Canadian Air Force Fighter Pilot

Jeremy Hansen is a history-making astronaut, Royal Canadian Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot, engineer, and leadership keynote speaker who became the first Canadian—and first non-American—to participate in a lunar mission. As Mission Specialist aboard Artemis II, Hansen flew around the Moon with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch on humanity’s first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years. During the nearly 10-day Artemis II mission in April 2026, Hansen and his crewmates traveled more than 680,000 miles and farther from Earth than any humans in history, surpassing the record established by Apollo 13. His journey from Canadian fighter pilot to record-setting deep-space explorer provides an extraordinary perspective on leadership, teamwork, trust, preparation, calculated risk, resilience, and performing at your best when the stakes are highest.

Keynote Speaker Jeremy Hansen at a Glance

• First Canadian and first non-American to participate in a lunar mission, making Canada only the second nation to send an astronaut to the Moon.
• Mission Specialist aboard Artemis II, humanity’s first crewed lunar mission since 1972 and part of the crew that traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history.
• Royal Canadian Air Force Colonel and former CF-18 fighter pilot with extensive experience in high-performance, high-stakes environments.
• First Canadian entrusted with leading a NASA astronaut class, training astronaut candidates from both the United States and Canada.
• Engineer and physicist with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Royal Military College of Canada.
• Leadership keynote speaker who translates extraordinary experiences in aviation and deep-space exploration into lessons on teamwork, trust, resilience, preparation, innovation, and pursuing ambitious goals.

First Canadian to Fly Around the Moon

On April 1, 2026, Jeremy Hansen launched aboard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket as Mission Specialist for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon since the Apollo era. Flying aboard the Orion spacecraft Integrity, Hansen and his crewmates spent 9 days, 1 hour, and 32 minutes in space, traveling around the Moon before returning safely to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego. The mission tested Orion’s life-support, navigation, communications, and other critical systems in deep space as NASA prepares for future missions to the lunar surface and eventually Mars. Hansen’s participation represented a historic milestone for international space exploration. He became the first Canadian and first non-American to participate in a lunar mission, making Canada only the second country after the United States to send one of its astronauts on a mission to the Moon.

A Record-Setting Journey into Deep Space

Artemis II took Hansen and his crewmates farther from Earth than any humans had traveled before them, surpassing the record established by Apollo 13 in 1970. The achievement was the culmination of years of preparation involving the astronauts and thousands of engineers, scientists, technicians, flight controllers, trainers, and international partners. For Hansen, the mission provides a powerful real-world example of what becomes possible when individuals with different backgrounds and expertise develop extraordinary levels of trust, communication, accountability, and shared purpose.

Royal Canadian Air Force Fighter Pilot

Long before traveling around the Moon, Hansen learned to operate in demanding environments as a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot. After completing his pilot training, he served as a CF-18 fighter pilot with 441 Tactical Fighter Squadron and 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron and later worked as a Combat Operations Officer at 4 Wing Operations. His military aviation experience helped develop many of the capabilities that would later define his astronaut career: disciplined preparation, situational awareness, sound judgment, clear communication, teamwork, adaptability, and the ability to make decisions when the consequences matter. Hansen continues his military service as a Reservist with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Canadian Space Agency Astronaut

Hansen was selected by the Canadian Space Agency during its 2009 astronaut recruitment campaign and went on to spend 17 years as a CSA astronaut. Although Artemis II became his first spaceflight assignment, Hansen spent years developing extensive operational experience supporting human spaceflight. He worked at NASA’s Mission Control Center as CAPCOM—the critical communications link between astronauts in space and mission controllers on Earth—and participated in intensive training for spaceflight operations. In 2017, Hansen achieved another Canadian first when he became the first Canadian to lead a NASA astronaut class, taking responsibility for training astronaut candidates from the United States and Canada.

Training for Extreme Environments

Astronaut preparation took Hansen far beyond traditional classrooms and flight simulators. In 2013, he participated in the European Space Agency’s CAVES program, living and working underground for six days as part of an international astronaut team. The following year, he participated in NASA’s NEEMO 19 mission, spending seven days living and working on the ocean floor inside the Aquarius underwater habitat. These experiences simulate some of the isolation, operational complexity, communication challenges, and team dynamics astronauts may encounter during space exploration. Together with fighter aviation and Artemis II, they give Hansen an unusual depth of experience in preparing teams to perform effectively in uncertain and unforgiving environments.

Leadership, Trust and High-Performance Teams

Hansen’s career demonstrates that extraordinary performance rarely comes from individual talent alone. Whether flying a fighter aircraft, training astronauts, working inside Mission Control, living beneath the ocean, or traveling around the Moon, success depends upon people trusting one another enough to communicate openly, accept responsibility, prepare rigorously, and put the mission ahead of individual recognition. His experiences provide a compelling leadership framework for organizations navigating uncertainty and change: establish a clear mission, develop capable people, build trust before it is needed, prepare for the unexpected, and create a culture where every member understands the importance of their contribution.

Preparation and Performing Under Pressure

Astronauts and fighter pilots spend enormous amounts of time preparing for events they hope never happen. Hansen’s career illustrates why preparation is about more than rehearsing the expected. High-performing teams anticipate problems, challenge assumptions, practice difficult scenarios, learn from mistakes, and develop the confidence to adapt when reality no longer matches the plan. For business audiences, these lessons translate directly to managing disruption, organizational change, innovation, risk, crisis leadership, and decision-making under pressure.

Innovation and International Collaboration

Artemis II was not simply an American space mission. It represented an international effort involving NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and partners throughout the global space community. Hansen’s historic role demonstrates what organizations and nations can accomplish when they combine specialized expertise around a shared objective. Canada’s participation in Artemis reflects decades of technological innovation and cooperation in human spaceflight, including its internationally recognized expertise in space robotics. Hansen uses the spirit of exploration to encourage audiences to think beyond immediate limitations, embrace ambitious challenges, remain curious, and recognize that the most difficult goals often require collaboration across organizations, disciplines, cultures, and borders.

Education and Continuous Learning

Hansen earned a Bachelor of Science in Space Science with first-class honors from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1999 and a Master of Science in Physics from the same institution in 2000. His graduate research focused on wide-field-of-view satellite tracking. His path from a farm in Ontario to fighter aviation and ultimately the far side of the Moon reflects decades of continuous learning, disciplined preparation, and a willingness to pursue increasingly difficult challenges.

A New Chapter After Artemis II

Following his historic lunar mission, Hansen announced that his time as an active Canadian Space Agency astronaut would conclude in September 2026 as he pursued new professional opportunities. He continues serving as a Reservist with the Royal Canadian Air Force and remains an ambassador for Canada’s future in space and the spirit of discovery that drives human exploration. His transition marks a new chapter after 17 years in Canada’s astronaut corps and gives Hansen an opportunity to bring the leadership lessons and perspective gained throughout his remarkable career to organizations and audiences around the world.

Jeremy Hansen Leadership Keynote Speaker

Jeremy Hansen takes audiences from the cockpit of a CF-18 fighter jet to NASA Mission Control and ultimately more than 680,000 miles around the Moon and back, transforming those extraordinary experiences into relevant lessons about leadership, teamwork, trust, resilience, preparation, innovation, and achieving ambitious goals. His presentations are particularly well suited for corporate leadership conferences, executive meetings, association conventions, technology and innovation events, aerospace organizations, sales meetings, universities, and organizations seeking to strengthen teamwork and inspire people to pursue seemingly impossible objectives.

From Fighter Pilot to the Far Side of the Moon

Jeremy Hansen spent decades preparing for a spaceflight that ultimately became one of the most consequential missions of the modern space era. Artemis II proved that the next era of lunar exploration will depend not only on extraordinary technology, but on people who can communicate, collaborate, learn continuously, manage risk, and remain focused on a shared mission despite uncertainty. As the first Canadian to fly around the Moon, Hansen offers audiences a rare firsthand perspective on what it takes to prepare for an extraordinary challenge, trust a team with your life, venture beyond familiar boundaries, and turn an ambitious vision into an historic achievement.