NASA and the Canadian Space Agency have decided on Canada ‘s future role in the Artemis Program. This is the first agreement reached with reserved seats on future Artemis flights, a standard ‘pay’ in international space travel, and it continues in the steps laid down by similar agreements that are still in effect on the International Space Station.
The Canadian Space Agency has pledged to deliver a new artificial arm for the Gateway, a proposed international station that will orbit the Moon and be the hub for human moon landing, taking advantage of Canada’s experience the space robots obtained by donating the Canadarm and Canadarm2 (used on the Space Shuttle and ISS respectively. This arm, with the amazing name “Canadarm3”, will be able to get across the station similar to the Canadarm2, using an interface on modules donated by the Canadian Space Agency.
As a reward for these services, NASA will provide Canadian astronauts with two “crew opportunities”, one for the Gateway and one for Artemis II (to be launched in 2023). The latter is particularly important, as not only will it be the first flyby on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, but it will make Canada the first country an astronaut to visit. Moon after the United States.
Work is already underway to integrate Canada’s contribution with the Gateway, according to program manager Dan Hartman, with “arm connection points and smaller smaller adapters already on their introduction into the individual Gateway modules ”.
Unique image courtesy of NASA