NASA astronaut Christina Koch receives Princess of Asturias Award

NASA astronaut Christina Koch has been awarded the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Concord. The recognition was presented in Oviedo, Spain, following her historic role in the Artemis II mission, where she became the first woman to travel around the Moon.

During the nine-day mission, which launched on April 1, 2026, Koch performed critical technical tasks aboard the Orion spacecraft. The mission, which included crew members Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen, allowed humans to observe the far side of the Moon for the first time. Koch noted that the mission was guided by the motto ‘a mission for all and by all,’ reflecting a sense of global unity observed during the lunar orbit.