10/14/2026
NC Space Grant Alum Christina Koch will serve as NASA's acting deputy chief engineer beginning November 1, so let's talk a bit about her background!
In 2001, NC Space Grant’s undergraduate research scholarship funded Koch’s internship at the NASA Academy program at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). She graduated from NC State University with a double major in electrical engineering and physics, securing a perfect 4.0 GPA in each!
Afterwards, her NASA career included work as an Electrical Engineer at Goddard, a Research Associate in the United States Antarctic Program, a Field Engineer in Utqiagvik, and a Station Chief of the American Samoa Observatory.
Then, in 2011, NASA put out the call for its next class of astronauts, and Koch applied. Out of 6,000 applicants, Koch was one of eight selected for NASA’s 21st class after a year and a half-long search. Koch underwent two more years of training before becoming a full-fledged astronaut and now holds some pretty cool titles like Flight Engineer, Mission Specialist I of Artemis II, longest single spaceflight by a woman, and farthest a woman has traveled from Earth.
In her new role, Koch will help lead NASA’s engineering community, supporting technical oversight, mission readiness, and engineering excellence across the agency’s programs and projects. With this appointment, Koch will transition to management astronaut status and will no longer be eligible for future spaceflight assignments.
We wish Koch the best of luck and will be watching her progress with pride!
