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Former ISS commander praises ‘really significant’ inclusion of Canadian astronautpublished at 09:09 BST
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield says he watched on with “amazement, excitement and gratitude” as “four friends” risked their lives on a brand new space craft blasting into space.
Hadfield is a former International Space Station commander, where his social media posts – including a performance of David Bowie’s Space Oddity at zero gravity – made him a star.
Now, speaking to the BBC after the Artemis II launch, he stresses the uniqueness of Nasa’s latest mission to the Moon.
“In the history of humanity, our entire species, there have only ever been 24 people… that have gone fast enough to be able to leave the orbit of the Earth and go to the Moon,” he explains.
The 24 astronauts who took part in the Apollo missions were all American, but the Artemis II crew has seen the inclusion of Canadian Jeremy Hansen, which Hadfield says gives him “great pride”.
“The fact that for this return to the Moon as we’re now transitioning from exploration to settlement, the fact it is an international crew is really significant, especially in times of turmoil,” he says.