Khemetic Nation News Network | Science Desk
October 14, 2026
NASA announced on October 13 that astronaut and engineer Christina Koch will become its acting deputy chief engineer on November 1. She will succeed Katherine Van Hooser, who retires October 21 after more than 35 years at the agency.
From spaceflight to engineering leadership
According to NASA’s appointment release, Koch will support technical oversight and mission readiness across agency programs. She will move to management astronaut status, ending her eligibility for future spaceflight assignments.
Koch’s experience includes 328 consecutive days on the International Space Station and participation in the first all-female spacewalks. NASA also identifies her as an Artemis II mission specialist during the April 2026 flight around the Moon.
A career connecting science and operations
Before joining the astronaut corps in 2013, Koch worked on scientific instruments as an electrical engineer and undertook field engineering in polar environments.
The appointment connects operational spaceflight experience with responsibility for engineering decisions on the ground. It is an acting leadership appointment, rather than an announcement of a new mission or a change to launch dates.
Source: NASA release 26-088. Image: archival Earth photograph credited to NASA via Unsplash; not a photograph of Koch or the appointment.
