NASA Artemis II astronauts retire from active spaceflight

All four astronauts from NASA’s Artemis II mission, which successfully orbited the Moon earlier this year, have announced their retirement from active spaceflight. While the crew achieved a historic milestone by returning humans to lunar orbit, they are transitioning into new professional roles rather than pursuing further space missions.

Christina Koch is among those moving into leadership, as she has been named acting deputy chief engineer at NASA. She succeeds Katherine Van Hooser, who is retiring after 35 years of service. Koch, who previously spent 328 consecutive days on the International Space Station, will oversee engineering teams and missions across the agency in a management capacity, though she will no longer be on the active flight roster.