By The Canadian Press

UPDATE: Former astronaut named next Governor General

Jul 13, 2017 | 6:48 AM

OTTAWA — Former astronaut Julie Payette will be Canada’s next Governor General.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement Thursday, July 13.

Payette will become the 29th person to hold the position, and the fourth female to be the monarch’s representative in Canada.

Payette, 53, will have name recognition for Canadians of a certain age, remembering her as the first Canadian female to board the International Space Station in 1999. She went on a second space flight in 2009.

From Montreal, she is fluently bilingual, and she also learned Russian after being named an astronaut.

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She has corporate and board experience through her time at the Canadian Space Agency and as a vice-president at the Canada Lands Company, which oversees the sales of unneeded federal properties.

(The Canadian Press)