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The first Canadian astronaut is heading to the International Space Station since Chris Hadfield is in the home stretch.
If all goes according to plan, on December 20, David Saint-Jacques, accompanied by NASA astronaut Anne McClain and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, will go to the ISS as Expedition Crew 58/59.
The crew of three must board a Russian Soyuz ship from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, St. James said that most of his preparation, while he was preparing to leave, is to make sure that his family is fine. He said that he wanted to make sure everything in his life was in order before he went to spend six months in what he called a "very remote place".
The 48-year-old astronaut is the father of three children: two boys aged seven and five and a two-year-old girl.
Saint-Jacques added that his space colleagues also thought of their families, with a little more than three months before their departure.
"It's a huge opportunity, a huge privilege to do it on behalf of all Canadians, to leave planet Earth to live on our spaceship," Saint-Jacques told CBC News in December.
During the six-month mission, Saint-Jacques will participate in approximately 250 research and technology experiments.
Engineer, astrophysicist and family physician from Saint-Lambert, Quebec, he will be the ninth Canadian astronaut of the Canadian Space Agency to launch into space.
Saint-Jacques has big shoes to fill.
In December 2012, Hadfield embarked on the ISS, embarked on five months of sharing the experience by posting photos, tweeting and showing the public how life was in the world. space. He became a global celebrity and since he retired in 2013 he has continued to raise awareness.
"Canadians have so much reason to be proud of our contribution to our space program," said Saint-Jacques. "We are part of this club of nations that push the boundaries of humanity."
With files from the Canadian press
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