NASA astronaut Christina Koch stands inside Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on July 14, 2021, in front of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that ultimately powered the Orion spacecraft on the Artemis I mission. Koch later served as a crew member on the Artemis II mission in 2026, and on Oct. 13, 2026, NASA announced she will serve next as the agency’s acting deputy chief engineer.

NASA/Glenn Benson via NASA

Last week NASA announced that Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch will replace Katherine Van Hooser as acting deputy chief engineer. The career pivot for Koch will keep her grounded, with a focus on leadership and management. In her off-world career, Koch logged six spacewalks, traveled the farthest any human has, was the first woman to travel around the Moon and logged the longest single spaceflight by a woman.…