Hadfield named space station commander

1st Canadian to head ISS says it's a 'tremendous honour'

Col. Chris Hadfield will become the first Canadian astronaut to command the International Space Station.

Hadfield will launch aboard a Soyuz spacecraft late in 2012, Gary Goodyear, minister of state for science and technology, told a news conference Thursday in Longueuil, Que. The exact date of the launch has not been set, but it will likely be in either late November or early December.

In March 2013, Hadfield will take command for the second half of the six-month mission, overseeing the work of five other astronauts.

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