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NASA has named astronaut and engineer Christina Koch acting deputy chief engineer, effective Nov. 1, after Katherine Van Hooser retires. The appointment moves Koch into management astronaut status, making her ineligible for future spaceflight assignments.
NASA astronaut and engineer Christina Koch will become the agency’s acting deputy chief engineer on Nov. 1, taking over the role after Katherine Van Hooser retires. NASA said Koch will help lead engineering oversight and mission readiness across its programs; the move also places her in management astronaut status, meaning she will no longer be eligible for future spaceflight assignments.
NASA said Van Hooser will conclude more than 35 years of agency service on Oct. 21. Koch’s appointment begins 11 days later. In the acting position, she will support technical oversight and engineering work across NASA programs and projects, according to the agency’s announcement. NASA did not describe the appointment as permanent.
Koch’s experience spans engineering work on the ground and human spaceflight. She joined NASA as an electrical engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center, where she worked on scientific instruments for space missions. Selected as an astronaut in 2013, she later served in leadership roles in the Astronaut Office and at Johnson Space Center.
NASA’s announcement says Koch most recently served as a mission specialist on Artemis II in April, a crewed flight around the Moon. Before that, she spent 328 consecutive days on the International Space Station, a record for a woman’s single spaceflight, and took part in the first all-female spacewalks. NASA says her new management status rules out future flight assignments, though its announcement did not specify how long she is expected to serve as acting deputy chief engineer.
Koch Moves From Flight to Engineering Oversight
The appointment shifts Koch from astronaut operations into a role with agency-wide engineering responsibilities. Her work will support technical oversight and mission readiness across NASA’s programs, including those involving human spaceflight. That gives the agency a leader whose background includes both engineering systems development and experience operating spacecraft, though NASA has not said what specific projects or decisions will be assigned to her.
The change also has a direct consequence for Koch’s career: she will no longer be eligible for future spaceflight assignments. NASA has not announced a return to flight duties or an end date for the acting appointment. For readers following the agency’s astronaut corps and its Moon program, the news marks a move into management rather than another flight role.
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From Goddard Engineering to Artemis II
Koch began her NASA career at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, developing instruments for scientific missions. Before becoming an astronaut, her experience also included field engineering in Antarctica and the Arctic. NASA later assigned her leadership roles within the Astronaut Office and at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Her spaceflight record includes a 328-day station mission and participation in the first all-female spacewalks. NASA also links her recent experience to Artemis II, the crewed lunar flight identified in the agency announcement. The appointment follows Van Hooser’s long career in propulsion engineering: she joined NASA in 1991, worked on liquid rocket engine turbomachinery, and became chief engineer for the Space Shuttle Main Engine, overseeing engineering through the shuttle program’s final 21 flights.
Van Hooser later served as the first chief engineer for the Space Launch System’s Liquid Engines Element, then as Marshall Space Flight Center’s chief engineer. She has been NASA deputy chief engineer since 2023. NASA described her work as providing technical leadership and oversight across agency programs, and said her retirement is the reason for the change in the post.
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Acting Role’s Duration Remains Unspecified
NASA has not said how long Koch will serve in the acting position, whether it plans to name a permanent deputy chief engineer, or when that decision might be made. The announcement also does not detail changes to the engineering office’s structure or identify particular missions that will fall under Koch’s direct oversight.
The agency’s statement establishes that Koch’s management status makes her ineligible for future spaceflight assignments. It does not describe whether that status could change later or provide further detail about the terms of her role. Those points remain unaddressed in the announcement.
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Appointment Takes Effect November 1
Van Hooser is scheduled to retire on Oct. 21, and Koch is due to begin as acting deputy chief engineer on Nov. 1. NASA has not announced a separate ceremony, a selection process for a permanent successor, or additional milestones tied to the appointment. The next confirmed step is Koch’s start date and the handover of the deputy chief engineer duties.
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Key Questions
When does Christina Koch become acting deputy chief engineer?
NASA says Koch’s appointment begins Nov. 1. Katherine Van Hooser is scheduled to retire on Oct. 21.
Will Koch be able to fly on future NASA missions?
No. NASA says the appointment moves Koch into management astronaut status, making her ineligible for future spaceflight assignments.
What will Koch do in the role?
NASA says she will help lead its engineering community, supporting technical oversight, mission readiness and engineering work across agency programs and projects. The announcement does not list specific assignments.
Who is Koch succeeding?
She is succeeding Katherine Van Hooser, NASA’s deputy chief engineer since 2023. Van Hooser joined the agency in 1991 and is retiring after more than 35 years of service.
Source: primary
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