‘This is just the beginning’: Alberta-based astronaut on historic moon mission

Doctor and astronaut Dr. Shawna Pandya joins Alberta Primetime to discuss the significance of the Artemis II lunar mission.

Alberta-based doctor and astronaut Dr. Shawna Pandya joins Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins to discuss the significance of the Artemis II lunar mission, as well as her next journey into space.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Michael Higgins: How excited are you for this launch?

Dr. Shawna Pandya: Over the moon excited. This is a historic mission. It’s the first time we are sending humans back to the moon, and it is the lead up into what will be a series of missions. This is the first time in history that a non-U.S. nation, and it happens to be that Canada is sending a human to deep space.

MH: Why is it important to go back to the moon? How significant is this moment in history?

SP: When we talk about the Apollo days, it was a historic first. It was the cusp, the leading edge of exploration, and now we’re picking up on the lessons learned from Apollo. We are shaping it into an entire Artemis series of missions with the idea that this will simply be the first in a set of human exploration missions. The idea is that Artemis missions will pave the way towards future lunar permanent surface operations. So we’re not just going back to the moon, we’re going back to stay –- with a view towards furthering lunar exploration and then also using the moon as a test bed for Mars.

MH: Compared to the Apollo missions, how different are the danger dynamics here?

SP: Anytime you talk about human spaceflight there is risk involved. Then the question is, what exactly is the risk? How likely is it and how severe is it before it happens? Engineers will recognize this as an engineering matrix, risk mitigation. We look at likelihood versus consequence. If it’s very, very high, that needs to be mitigated before the mission can go forward.

In this case, spaceflight isn’t risk free. This is the most powerful rocket with the Space Launch System (SLS) that will be sending humans to the moon. This is the first time the Orion crew capsule will be housing humans. So there is still risk, but along the way at every point, these risks are identified and then mitigated. This was the reason the entire vehicular assembly was actually rolled back in February with the first launch attempt.This time –- fingers crossed, weather permitting –- it looks like all systems are go.

MH: To this point it’s only been Americans who’ve made this journey.

How significant a moment is this where Canada is concerned as a space-faring nation?

SP: Canada has always been that reliable, quiet, humble, hard-working partner that shows up and proves its worth. That’s been true in the history of human spaceflight. Canada was the third nation into space with the launch of the Alouette satellite, after the Soviet Union and the Americans. All along with the International Space Station (on which) we’ve been a key partner:. We helped in the design of the International Space Station. We contributed the Canada Arm. We will be contributing further robotic arms to lunar exploration. So we’ve shown up. We’ve proven our worth. The fact that we’ve got ourselves a seat to the moon just shows the history of trust, of excellence and just wanting to take it further.

MH: What does it mean for yourself and other Albertans who seek a similar journey?

SP: I will be going to space as early as late 2026 or early 2027 through the commercial sphere with Virgin Galactic. I’ve grown up watching these guys. I’ve shared the stage with Jeremy Hansen in Canadian Space events. To see our nation represented, to see the Canadian flag going to the moon , there’s this pride point, there’s this inspiration point. For me it really cements this bar of excellence as to what it means to be a Canadian in space. I hope to continue to cement that legacy through my own space flight.

MH: Can you tell us some more about what that Virgin Galactic flight will entail?

SP: Through our research institute, the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences, we

research suborbital space flights. We’ve completed one to date. I was the medical lead and one of the leading ground scientists on that. Now I get to fly myself. I will be flying with two other wonderful women, Kellie Gerardi and Dr. Norah Patten, who will become Ireland’s first astronaut. Kelly was the first astronaut from our institution.

We’ve somewhere along the way unwittingly become the world’s first all-female research astronautics crew, which feels pretty cool to say. We have certain research priority areas in our mission. We are prioritizing women’s health research, neuroscience, health technology and research that can bring positive impacts back to healthcare on Earth. All of that is underway. We’ve done six training parabolic flights as a crew to make sure we’re on the same page as to how to coordinate and choreograph our operations with the payloads we will be bringing with us.

MH: Bringing it back to the Artemis, what kind of door does that open for space exploration?

SP: With this successful demonstration of the Artemis II, there’s a whole lot riding on this. This is the proof of concept that the space launch system and the Orion capsule can support human activities to the moon. Then with that comes the gateway towards Artemis III, IV, V, and establishing those permanent surface operations. This is just the beginning. Meaning maybe someday I would not say no to a lunar mission myself.