Artemis II Moon Pioneer Christina Koch Moves to Management

Published 10/13/2026 at 10:55 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Portland, Oregon) – Sometimes entering that final frontier means directing things from the ground.

Her name still one of the buzzwords in minds and hearts around the world, NASA engineer and astronaut Christina Koch will step into a new leadership role next month, as the agency announced she will become acting deputy chief engineer on Nov. 1. The move follows the retirement of Katherine Van Hooser, who will conclude more than 35 years with NASA on Oct. 21.

Before her historic flight to the Moon in April aboard Artemis II, Koch has spent recent years at the center of NASA’s human spaceflight efforts. She had previously spent 328 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.

The International Space Station above Portland, Oregon / Oregon Coast Beach Connection

The new appointment puts an end to the adventure, however. As she transitions to management astronaut status she will no longer be eligible for future missions.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Koch’s experience gives her a rare perspective on the agency’s engineering work, noting she has both built complex systems on the ground and relied on them in orbit. He said her background will be critical as NASA pushes toward returning Americans to the lunar surface, constructing a Moon base, advancing nuclear power in space, and preparing for future missions to Mars.

Seeing the planets from the Oregon coast

“Koch began her NASA career as an electrical engineer at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, developing scientific instruments for space missions,” NASA said. “Before her selection as an astronaut in 2013, her experience also included scientific field engineering in Antarctica and the Arctic. She has since held leadership positions within NASA’s Astronaut Office and at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, bringing a combination of technical expertise, operational experience, and firsthand understanding of the demands of human spaceflight to her new role.”

Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s associate administrator and chief engineer, praised Van Hooser’s decades of service and said Koch brings a blend of engineering skill, operational experience, and leadership that will strengthen the agency’s technical community.

Above: The lower half of the Moon hangs suspended in time in this photograph from the Artemis II crew during the lunar flyby observation period.

Van Hooser joined NASA in 1991 at Marshall Space Flight Center, starting in propulsion engineering and rising to key leadership positions. She worked on liquid rocket engine turbomachinery and later became chief engineer for the space shuttle main engine, guiding engineering efforts through the final 21 shuttle flights. She also served as the first chief engineer for the Space Launch System’s Liquid Engines Element, helping advance propulsion systems for Artemis missions.

As Marshall’s chief engineer and, since 2023, NASA’s deputy chief engineer, Van Hooser provided steady technical leadership across the agency, helping navigate complex engineering challenges and major program transitions while keeping mission readiness at the forefront.

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