NASA astronaut Christina Koch to become acting deputy chief engineer

NASA astronaut Christina Koch will transition to a management role, stepping down from flight eligibility on November 1 to become the agency’s acting deputy chief engineer at headquarters. She succeeds Katherine Van Hooser, who is retiring after more than 35 years of service.

In this new capacity, Koch will oversee the engineering workforce across various programs, providing technical supervision and mission preparation. This move marks a permanent shift in her career, classifying her as a management astronaut and making her ineligible for future spaceflight assignments.

Koch is a veteran engineer and astronaut known for her record-breaking achievements, including spending 328 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station. She most recently served as a mission specialist on the Artemis II mission, which conducted the first crewed flight around the Moon in over five decades.