NASA announced that Christina Koch will become its acting deputy chief of engineering starting 1 in November 2026. The appointment marks a career change for the astronaut: by moving into management, she will no longer be eligible for future spaceflight assignments.
In her new role, Koch will help lead the agency’s engineering community and support technical oversight and mission readiness across its various programs and projects. She will succeed Katherine Van Hooser, who will retire 21 in October after more than 35 years of service.
Koch takes on the role after serving as a mission specialist on Artemis II in April this year, the first crewed flight around the Moon in more than half a century. Earlier, she spent 328 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station, setting the record for the longest individual spaceflight by a woman, and took part in the first all-female spacewalks.
Her technical experience began before she joined the astronaut corps in 2013. She worked as an electrical engineer at the Goddard Space Flight Center, where she developed scientific instruments for space missions, and performed field engineering work in Antarctica and the Arctic. She has also held leadership positions in the Astronaut Office and at Johnson Space Center.
Van Hooser leaves behind a career focused on propulsion and technical oversight. She was chief engineer for the space shuttle main engine during its final 21 flights and later worked on the liquid engines for the Space Launch System rocket. She has held the deputy chief of engineering position that Koch will take over since 2023.
