Christina Koch

longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days)

She surpassed the previous women's record of 289 days, held by Peggy Whitson.

💡 Did you know? Koch's 328 days in space provided valuable data on how the female body copes with very long spaceflights.

ISS

She launched in March 2019 and returned in February 2020.

💡 Did you know? On the ISS Koch orbited Earth over 5,000 times: more than 220 million kilometres.

first all-female spacewalk

Almost 60 years into human spaceflight, two women worked in open space without male companions for the first time.

💡 Did you know? Koch completed six spacewalks in total, logging over 42 hours outside.

Jessica Meir

In 2019 Koch and Jessica Meir carried out the first spacewalk crewed entirely by women.

💡 Did you know? An earlier all-female spacewalk had been cancelled because not enough suits in their size were ready.

electrical engineer

Before her astronaut career she developed scientific instruments at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

💡 Did you know? As an electrical engineer Koch worked on scientific instruments in Antarctica and the Arctic before flying to space.

Antarctica (South Pole station)

She later also worked at remote stations in Alaska and American Samoa.

💡 Did you know? Experience in isolated, extreme environments counts as a big plus in astronaut selection.

2013

She was chosen from more than 6,000 applicants.

💡 Did you know? From over 6,000 applicants Koch was chosen in 2013 for a NASA class that was half women.

Artemis II

In April 2026 the mission flew around the Moon without landing: a dress rehearsal for returning to the lunar surface.

💡 Did you know? With Artemis II Koch was among the first humans in over 50 years to fly to the Moon again.

first woman to fly around the Moon

On 6 April 2026 the Artemis II crew flew around the Moon: Koch became the first woman to travel that far.

💡 Did you know? Before Artemis II, all 24 people who had travelled to the Moon were men: their flights took place between 1968 and 1972.

research on long-duration spaceflight in women

Such data is crucial for planning Mars missions, which will last several years.

💡 Did you know? Koch's extended mission helped reveal how muscles, bones and the mind respond to months of weightlessness.

Christina Koch

Christina Koch (b. 1979) is an American NASA astronaut who set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman in 2019/2020.

💡 Did you know? On Artemis II in April 2026 Koch became the first woman to fly around the Moon.