Astronaut Christina Koch Named NASA Deputy Chief Engineer

Christina Koch is taking everything she learned from nearly a year in space and bringing it back down to Earth in the best possible way.

NASA announced that Koch will serve as the agency's acting deputy chief engineer starting November 1, becoming one of the first astronauts to transition from flying historic missions to leading the engineering teams that make them possible. She'll help oversee technical excellence and mission readiness across all of NASA's programs.

Koch's resume reads like a highlight reel of modern space exploration. She spent 328 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station, setting the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. She participated in the first all-female spacewalks. Then in April 2026, she served as a mission specialist on Artemis II, helping carry out the first crewed flight around the Moon in more than 50 years.

Now she's using that perspective in a completely new way. Koch started her NASA career as an electrical engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center, developing scientific instruments before being selected as an astronaut in 2013. Her path also included field engineering work in Antarctica and the Arctic.

"Christina has seen NASA engineering from both sides of the equation: developing complex systems on the ground and trusting them with her life in space," said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. Her unique combination of building spacecraft and actually flying them gives her insights few engineers ever gain.

The appointment means Koch will transition to management astronaut status and won't fly future missions. But her impact could be even greater from this new position as NASA works toward returning Americans to the lunar surface, building the Moon Base, and developing capabilities for Mars exploration.

Why This Inspires

Koch's career shift shows how expertise transforms over time. She's not leaving spaceflight behind but elevating everything she learned to help more people reach space safely. The engineer who once built instruments for space missions, then trusted those systems with her own life, now gets to guide the next generation of exploration technology.

She replaces Katherine Van Hooser, who is retiring after 35 distinguished years including critical work on the space shuttle main engine and the Space Launch System. Van Hooser's steady technical leadership helped guide NASA through complex transitions, and Koch is positioned to continue that tradition while bringing fresh operational experience.

One astronaut's journey from building spacecraft to flying them to leading the teams that make it all possible.