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OTTAWA — Canadians across the country watched the launch of Artemis II with a mix of excitement and nervousness, erupting into loud applause at the sight of the fiery liftoff of the historic moon mission.
Gathered at historical sites, museums, libraries and arts centres, they cheered on Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is serving as mission specialist for Artemis II.
Dozens of people gathered to watch the launch outside of Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, where a livestream was displayed on the Kipnes Lantern, a five-storey glass tower.
The crowd counted down the 10 seconds until the launch and cheered at takeoff. Many people yelled and groaned as a public bus drove in front of the building with less than a minute before the launch.
Victoria McTaggart, who was at the watch event, said she has followed Hansen’s career for several years and that this is “such a memorable occasion for him.”
“We should all be very proud of the effort that he and his family have put into this,” she said. “There’s so much science that we learn from all of this, and so I think that’s really important.
“To think that a young boy from a small town … has made it this far just tells you what hard work can achieve.”
A watch event was also held at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa.
Tim Haltigin, senior scientist of lunar and planetary science at the Canadian Space Agency, said the whole country was captivated.
“This is one of the greatest moments potentially in the history of Canadian space exploration, so for sure everyone’s really, really ready to go,” he said before the launch.
“This is really a celebration not just for Jeremy, for the Canadian Space Agency, this is a celebration for Canada, the entire space program.”
Numerous employees joined in counting down the last 10 seconds before the liftoff in a hall at the Canadian Space Agency in Longueuil, Que., followed by cheers and applause.
Astronaut David Saint-Jacques chuckled when asked by The Canadian Press if he was feeling jealous.
“Of Jeremy? Yes, of course. There isn’t any astronaut who would not love to be a part of this mission,” he said.
“But you need to understand the role of astronauts. For 95 per cent of our career, we spend the time on the ground in support of the missions of others. Jeremy was on the ground providing support during my own mission.”
In Vancouver, people met at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, while Halifax residents watched the launch from the Discovery Centre.
Hansen, a 50-year-old from London, Ont., is the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit.
He is joined by veteran NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch.
The historic 10-day lunar fly-around will see humanity travel to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2026.
—With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and Pierre Saint-Arnaud in Longueuil, Que.
Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
