Christina Koch becomes NASA's acting deputy chief engineer

27 October 2026

NASA said astronaut and engineer Christina Koch will become the agency's acting deputy chief engineer on 1 November 2026, helping lead its engineering community and overseeing technical work and mission readiness. She replaces Katherine Van Hooser, who retires after more than 35 years at NASA and had been deputy chief engineer since 2023. Koch flew as a mission specialist on Artemis II, the crewed flight around the Moon in April 2026, and earlier spent 328 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station, a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. She also took part in the first all-female spacewalks. With the move she becomes a management astronaut and will no longer be eligible for future spaceflight assignments.