Executive Appointments & Leadership Moves Moon Exploration Human Spaceflight & Space Stations NASA

Christina Koch named NASA acting deputy chief engineer, leaving active astronaut duty

The Artemis II mission specialist will take the acting deputy chief engineer role on Nov. 1, supporting technical oversight, mission readiness and engineering standards across NASA programs. Koch succeeds Katherine Van Hooser, who is retiring after more than 35 years at the agency; the move ends Koch’s eligibility for future spaceflight.

Discovered 2026-10-14T09:06:13.518885-07:00 | 2026-10-14T09:06:13.518885-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Koch’s appointment puts an experienced astronaut in a technical leadership role spanning NASA programs, with responsibilities for engineering standards, mission readiness and technical oversight.
The transition from active astronaut duty makes her ineligible for future spaceflight; all four Artemis II crewmates have now left active spaceflight duties.

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