Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen says his historic participation in NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission is proof that Canada can “do big things” as a country and hopes it serves as inspiration for the next major achievement.

In an interview with Global News at the Johnson Space Center in Houston nearly a week after returning to Earth, Hansen said becoming the first non-American to travel in low orbit around the moon — and the overwhelming success of the mission — “had very little to do with me,” giving credit to the work of past and present Canadian “visionaries” who made his journey possible.

“What this should do is shine a spotlight on what we’re capable of as a country,” he said.