canadian space agency

That's one small step for man, one giant leap for Canada, eh? For the first time, a Canadian astronaut will take part in a NASA mission around the Moon. The astronaut, Jeremy Hansen, is one of four who will lead Artemis II, the second in a series of three lunar missions whose goal is to lay the groundwork for an enduring human presence on Earth's natural satellite.

Artemis II won't include a lunar landing. It will be a test flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft, which is specifically designed for moon missions. According to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Artemis II will orbit Earth twice before zipping around the moon and using its gravity to "slingshot around the back side and return to Earth."

Despite Elon Musk's antics over on Twitter, which have been keeping many internet users busy for weeks, the aerospace company he founded has its sights set a little higher than social media. SpaceX's most recent launch of a Falcon 9 rocket took place on December 11 at 2:38 a.m., taking with it two Canadian technologies, according to a recent press release.

The new technologies include a 360-degree imaging system, apparently strengthened by the use of AI, designed to "withstand the harsh lunar environment." Two rovers, one from the U.A.E. and the other Japanese, will be posing for pictures taken by the new Canadian imaging system as they are deployed onto the Moon's surface.