NASA named astronaut and engineer Christina Koch as the agency’s acting deputy chief engineer, effective Sunday, November 1, 2026. She succeeds Katherine Van Hooser, who is retiring on October 21 after more than 35 years at NASA. In the new role, Koch will help lead NASA’s engineering community on technical oversight, mission readiness, and engineering excellence across programs. With the appointment she becomes a management astronaut and is no longer eligible for future spaceflight assignments.
Koch most recently flew as a mission specialist on Artemis II in April 2026, the first crewed flight around the Moon in more than 50 years. She earlier spent 328 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station, a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, and took part in the first all-female spacewalks. NASA announced the appointment on October 13, 2026 (release 26-088).
Source: NASA — NASA Names Astronaut Christina Koch Acting Deputy Chief Engineer
Image: NASA astronaut Christina Koch inside Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building, July 14, 2021. Credit: NASA (public domain).