North Carolinian to journey around the moon

On April 1, the first lunar flight to orbit the moon with humans on board in over 50 years launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Thousands of people assembled on Cocoa Beach Pier to watch NASA’s Artemis II mission launch on a 10-day exploratory journey through space.

Three Americans and one Canadian are on board the spacecraft: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, and one North Carolinian — Mission Specialist Christina Koch.

Koch is a figure of firsts. She is set to be the first woman to fly around the Moon and travel beyond low Earth orbit. In 2020, she completed the longest single spaceflight by a woman at 328 days, and in 2019, participated in the first all-female spacewalk.

Before space, Koch spent formative years in North Carolina.

Koch is an engineer and astronaut who grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She attended White Oak High School in Jacksonville, where the Artemis I Moon Tree #57 was planted and dedicated to her in March 2026. The tree traveled around the Moon on Artemis I, which was an uncrewed flight to test the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System rocket that were later used for Artemis II.  

Koch transferred to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and graduated in 1997. A sculpture of Koch resides in the school’s Bryan Lobby, which serves as the main entrance of the school’s campus.

After her high school graduation, Koch went on to earn three degrees from North Carolina State University. In 2001 she graduated with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering and in 2002, she earned a bachelor of science in physics and a master of science in electrical engineering. She also studied abroad at the University of Ghana and later received an honorary PhD from NC State.

Koch spent time in Antarctica as research associate with the United Sates Antarctic Program in the Admunsen-Scott South Pole Station and Palmer Station. She worked as an electrical engineer at Johns Hopkins University and worked remotely on two scientific field tours in Greenland.

In 2013, Koch was selected as a NASA astronaut. After several years of training, she launched to the International Space Station as a flight engineer in 2019. Koch returned to Earth in 2020, after setting the world record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a woman. She was aboard the station for Expeditions 59, 60, and 61.

Since becoming an astronaut, Koch has appeared throughout the state many times to speak with her former high school, at NC States’ commencement ceremony, and has attend other press appearances.

“Growing up in North Carolina, the night sky is one of the things that used to inspire me. It is one of the things that made me want to be an astronaut,” Koch told WRAL News in 2020.

In 2024, Koch was granted the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor awarded by the governor. The award is given to individuals who have made significant impact and contributed meaningfully to their communities. She also received the North Carolina Award, which is the state’s highest civilian honor.

Koch is not the only North Carolinian associated with the Artemis II launch. Bryce Clegg, a graduate of Pine Lake Preparatory School in Mooresville, is part of Mission Control.

Clegg is the son of current Pine Lake Preparatory art teacher Leslie Clegg. Clegg is a guidance, navigation, and control engineer with Lockheed Martin.

The Artemis II mission is expected to last 10 days. The purpose is to lay the foundation for future missions to Mars and test life support systems for prolonged human presence on the Moon.

After a successful mission, the astronauts will return to earth and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

“North Carolinian to journey around the moon” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.