The first Canadian astronaut set to head to the International Space Station since Chris Hadfield is in the final stretch.
If all goes as planned, on Dec. 20, David Saint-Jacques, along with NASA astronaut Anne McClain and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, will be on their way to the ISS as Expedition Crew 58/59.
The three-person crew is scheduled to launch aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
“This is a huge opportunity, a huge privilege to do this on behalf of all Canadians, to leave planet Earth to go live on our spaceship,” Saint-Jacques, 48, told CBC News in December.
During the six-month mission, Saint-Jacques will take part in roughly 250 research and technology experiments.
An engineer, astrophysicist and family doctor from Saint-Lambert, Que., he will be Canada’s ninth astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency to head into space.
Saint-Jacques has some big shoes to fill.
In December 2012, Hadfield launched to ISS, kicking off five months of sharing the experience by posting photos, tweeting and showing the public what living in space was really like. He became a worldwide celebrity and since retiring in 2013, he has continued to do public outreach.
“Canadians have so many reasons to be proud of our contributions to our space program,” Saint-Jacques said. “We are part of that club of nations that are pushing the boundaries of humanity.”