Christina Koch Moves from Spaceflight to NASA Engineering Leadership
NASA has named Christina Koch as acting deputy chief engineer, effective November 1, replacing Katherine Van Hooser after her retirement. The change means Koch will leave active spaceflight and will not take part in future missions. Koch previously spent 328 consecutive days on the ISS and flew on Artemis II, becoming the first woman to launch on a lunar mission.
Christina Koch will become NASA's acting deputy chief engineer on November 1. She takes over from Katherine Van Hooser, who is retiring after 35 years at the agency. In the new post, Koch will guide technical and engineering oversight across NASA projects and programs, a shift that means she will no longer participate in future space missions.
Koch was selected for astronaut training in 2013 and finished it in 2015. Her first flight began in 2018, and she later served as a mission specialist on Artemis II. She also worked as an electrical engineer at Goddard, contributing to space mission instruments, and has conducted long-duration field research in polar regions.
Koch's move may signal how NASA values veteran flight experience in senior engineering decisions. It could affect astronauts preparing for Artemis missions, engineers working on lunar and Mars systems, and the public following efforts to return people to the Moon. Her transition may also shape how younger scientists and women in STEM view career paths that blend spaceflight, technical leadership, and exploration. However, the practical impact will depend on how the role develops and how NASA assigns future crews.