AMU Editor's Pick Original Space

Christina Koch New Record Holder for Longest Space Mission by a Woman

Featured image courtesy NASA. Pictured: NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch work on U.S. spacesuits

By Wes O’Donnell
Managing Editor, In Space News, InCyberDefense, and In Military

NASA astronaut Christina Koch is the new record holder for the single longest space mission by a woman, besting NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson.

On Saturday, December 28, Koch exceeded Wilson’s record of 289 days, five hours and one minute. What’s more, she still has six weeks before she returns home.

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Koch is scheduled to land on February 6, 2020, logging 328 days in space. This will be just 12 days short of the single longest space mission by any NASA astronaut — a record 340 days set by astronaut Scott Kelly in 2016.

This Is Koch’s Second Record for NASA

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1979, Koch graduated from the NASA Academy at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 2001 and was selected for NASA’s Astronaut Group 21 in June of 2013.

Astronaut Christina Koch. Photographer: Robert Markowitz. Photo courtesy NASA.

Currently, Koch serves as the Expedition 61 flight engineer, and this is the second record that Koch has set during what is her first spaceflight. Last October, Koch and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir became the first two women to perform a spacewalk together.

For NASA Astronaut Christina H. Koch’s full bio, visit NASA’s astronaut page.

Wes O'Donnell

Wes O’Donnell is an Army and Air Force veteran and writer covering military and tech topics. As a sought-after professional speaker, Wes has presented at U.S. Air Force Academy, Fortune 500 companies, and TEDx, covering trending topics from data visualization to leadership and veterans’ advocacy. As a filmmaker, he directed the award-winning short film, “Memorial Day.”

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