NASA Names Astronaut Christina Koch Acting Deputy Chief Engineer

NASA has named astronaut Christina Koch as the agency’s acting deputy chief engineer, effective November 1. Koch will succeed Katherine Van Hooser, who is retiring after more than 35 years of service. In her new role, Koch will help lead NASA’s engineering community by providing technical oversight and supporting mission readiness across agency programs.

Because of this appointment, Koch transitions to management astronaut status and will no longer be eligible for future spaceflight assignments. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that Koch brings an extraordinary combination of operational experience and technical judgment to the leadership position. Koch most recently served as a mission specialist on the Artemis II flight around the Moon.

Her previous spaceflight experience includes a 328-day stay aboard the International Space Station, setting the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. She began her NASA career as an electrical engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center, where she developed scientific instruments. Van Hooser concludes a distinguished career that began in 1991 at the Marshall Space Flight Center, where she specialized in liquid rocket engine turbomachinery.

She later served as chief engineer for the space shuttle main engine and the Space Launch System Liquid Engines Element, before becoming…