Christina Koch steps down from active astronaut duty

NASA has announced that Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch will transition to acting deputy chief engineer status, effective Nov. 1, 2023. This change means Koch will no longer be eligible for future spaceflight assignments, as she will be in a management astronaut position. Koch's three Artemis II crewmates—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen—have all moved on to other roles.

Wiseman and Glover have become emeritus astronauts and are now engaged in advisory and mentoring duties, while Hansen has enlisted as a reservist in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Koch's appointment comes after the retirement of NASA Deputy Chief Engineer Katherine Van Hooser, who will leave the agency after 35 years of service on Oct.

21. Koch, a NASA astronaut with extensive experience, will lead the agency's engineering community, focusing on technical oversight, mission readiness, and engineering excellence across various programs and projects.