Canada’s role in Artemis II mission celebrated in new silver collectors coin from the Royal Canadian Mint: ‘Captures the excitement of a nation’

Canada’s role in the Artemis II mission is being recognized with the launch of a new collector’s coin from the Royal Canadian Mint, as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen takes part in NASA’s lunar mission that began this week.

On Thursday, the Royal Canadian Mint announced its release of the silver $20 coin. It’s both a celebration of the return of crewed missions to the moon for the first time since 1972, along with a commemoration for Hansen’s accomplishment as the first Canadian to fly around the moon.

The pure silver coin — designed by Canadian artist Pandora Young — features a CSA astronaut wearing the orange-coloured Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) spacesuit. The astronauts, placed in front of an engraving of the moon, dons a Canadian flag on their arm, plus a Royal Canadian Air Force badge and a CSA patch on their chest.

While the moon engraving is typically gray and the astronaut’s helmet remains black, the coin illuminates with a black light to show a blue background and the reflection of the Earth in the astronaut’s face.

On the other side is the effigy of King Charles III, created by Canadian artist Steven Rosati.

“With the launch of Artemis II, Canada becomes the second country to have an astronaut around the moon, playing a vital role in humanity’s return to deep space and the next chapter of lunar exploration,” a description of the new coin reads. “The scientific milestone is celebrated on this 1 oz. 99.99 per cent pure silver coin, which captures the excitement of a nation and the wonder felt worldwide for humanity’s long-anticipated return to the moon, over 50 years after the Apollo program.”

There are only 7,500 coins worldwide, according to a press release. They’re available for order on the Royal Canadian Mint’s website or at its boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg. They can also be purchased at some Canada Post outlets and through the Royal Canadian Mint’s dealers and distributors.

Artemis II is the first crewed mission to fly around the moon since the end of the Apollo program in December 1972. Hansen joins three NASA astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover — to venture farther in space than anyone in human history.

The 10-day journey, which began on April 1, will see the four astronauts test the systems of the Orion spacecraft. They’ll complete a flyby of the moon, and the mission will act as a test to support future Artemis program missions to get humans on the surface of the moon.

“The crew’s feeling pretty good up here,” Hansen told mission control. “We just wanted to communicate to everyone around the planet who’s worked to make Artemis possible that we firmly felt the power of your perseverance during every second of that burn. Humanity has once again shown what we are capable of, and it’s your hopes for the future that carry us now on this journey around the moon.”