After months of intense interviews and rigorous physical and skills tests, two new astronauts joined Canada's Astronaut Corps Wednesday at the culmination of the third national recruitment campaign.

Jeremy Hansen of Cold Lake, Alta. and David Saint-Jacques, of Montreal, were introduced by Industry Minister Tony Clement during a news conference at the Canada Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa.

Hansen is an accomplished CF-18 fighter pilot.

He held the position of Combat Operations Officer at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta., where his responsibilities included ensuring the effectiveness of NORAD air defence operations.

"Today is the realization of a lifelong dream and goal for me," Hansen said. "It was a goal because I'd watched other Canadians live and work in space and I knew that it was possible as a Canadian to do that."

Saint-Jacques has a PhD in astrophysics from Cambridge and is a medical doctor who most recently practiced at Inuulitsivik Health Centre in Puvirnituq, Northern Quebec.

He has also lectured at McGill University's medical school in Montreal.

"I am looking forward to starting training for this great mission," Saint-Jacques said.

Canadian Space Agency president and former astronaut Steve MacLean said the two new astronauts will inspire Canadians.

"They are at the beginning of an amazing career," MacLean said. "They have a tough job to do and they will become the next generation of Canadian space explorers."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his congratulations to the two men on Wednesday, saying that they will "build on Canada's legacy of leadership in the exploration and development of this final frontier."

"I am confident that Jeremy Hansen and David Saint-Jacques will build on this heritage and inspire a new generation of Canadians to not only dream of the stars, but also work to make that dream happen."

Harper said the astronauts "are setting an example for the scientists, technologists and mathematicians of the future."

Hansen and Saint-Jacques are the first new recruits since 1992 and bring the total number of Canadians to join the astronaut corps to 12.

They were chosen from among 16 finalists, who themselves were selected from an initial applicant pool of more than 5,300 hopefuls.

The agency launched the recruitment campaign in May 2008 with a call for online applications.

After MacLean announced the 16 finalists in March, they were subjected to a series of interviews and medical tests, which ranged from assessments of their knowledge of robotics to physical fitness evaluations.

Born Jan. 27, 1976 in London, Ont., and raised in Ingersoll, Ont., Hansen started his flight career at an early age by enrolling into the Air Cadets. Later, he went on to study at the Royal Military College in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

Hansen obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in space science from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., in 1999. There, he also earned a master of science in physics in 2000.

"If we're lucky, and if Canada gets involved... we might be going back to the moon," Hansen told CTV's Canada AM on Thursday.

"For me that's a real challenge and dream."

Now married with three children, Hansen enjoys sailing, mountain biking, rock climbing and playing hockey, says the Canadian Space Agency website.

Saint-Jacques was born on Jan. 6, 1970 in Quebec City, Que., and raised in Saint-Lambert, Que.

He started his career as a biomedical engineer. His postdoctoral research from 1999 to 2000 involved the development and application of the Mitaka Infrared Interferometer and the Subaru Telescope Adaptive Optics System in Japan. In 2002 during his medical studies, he researched traditional Maya medicine and midwifery in Guatemala.

The astronaut search is the third of its kind in Canada. In 1983, the search yielded Roberta Bondar, Marc Garneau, Robert Thirsk, Ken Money, Bjarni Tryggvason and MacLean.

The 1992 search produced Chris Hadfield, Julie Payette, Dave Williams and Mike Mackay.

The new astronauts will participate in a brief training session at Canadian Space Agency headquarters this summer and will assist other Canadian astronauts who are preparing to head to space this year.

On May 27, Thirsk will blast off from Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz rocket alongside an international team of astronauts.

His six-month trip to the International Space Station will be the longest mission in the history of Canada's Human Space Program.

Payette will be a mission specialist aboard the shuttle Endeavour, which is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 13. She, too, will be making a stop at the International Space Station.

In August, Hansen and Saint-Jacques will travel to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for astronaut training.

With files from The Canadian Press