NASA astronaut and engineer Christina Koch will become the agency’s acting deputy chief engineer on Nov. 1, succeeding Katherine Van Hooser, who is retiring after more than 35 years of service. NASA announced the appointment Oct. 13. In the role, Koch will help lead NASA’s engineering community and support technical oversight, mission readiness and engineering standards across the agency’s programs. Her appointment moves her into management astronaut status, making her ineligible for future spaceflight assignments. Koch recently served as a mission specialist on Artemis II, the first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years. She previously spent 328 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station, setting a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman and participating in the first all-female spacewalks. Van Hooser joined NASA in 1991 and held senior engineering positions involving the space shuttle’s main engines and the Space Launch System. She became NASA’s deputy chief engineer in 2023. NASA officials credited her with providing technical leadership and maintaining mission readiness across major agency programs. Post navigation SpaceX Launch Sends Science to Station