Meet the NASA astronaut on historic Artemis II mission who attended University of Ghana

Christina Hammock Koch, one of the four astronauts on the historic Artemis II mission around the Moon, has a connection to Ghana.

Christina Koch, a mission specialist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States (US), is the only female among the four astronauts on the mission aboard Orion for the roughly 10-day mission that will fly around the Moon and return to Earth.

In 2009, the female astronaut attended the University of Ghana (UG) for a study abroad programme, an experience she has described as “life-changing”.

In a post shared on X in 2019, Christina Koch shared images of Ghana from space while at the International Space Station, along with an emotional message.

She described Ghana as a beautiful country with amazing people.

“20 years ago, I was studying abroad at the @UnivofGh. Like spaceflight, it was a positive, life-changing, perspective-deepening experience.

“Seeing the beauty of Ghana from space reminds me of the amazing people I met there and how, in exploring the world, we learn about ourselves,” she wrote.



About the historic Artemis II mission:

As indicated, Artemis II is a ten-day US spaceflight to send four astronauts on a flyby around the Moon and back to Earth.

The mission was launched from Kennedy Space Centre on April 1, 2026, with a crew of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

It is the second flight of the Space Launch System (SLS), the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft, and the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

According to reports by CNN, the Artemis II mission marks a historic milestone in humanity’s return to deep space exploration, more than five decades (50 years) after the Apollo 17 mission.

This mission represents a critical step in the broader Artemis Program led by NASA, aimed at returning astronauts to the Moon and eventually sending humans to Mars.

The significance of Artemis II lies in it being the first crewed mission in the programme, designed to test systems and ensure the safety of future lunar landings.

The reports also emphasise the symbolic importance of the mission, noting renewed global interest in space exploration and the diversity of the crew, which reflects a more inclusive era of human spaceflight.

20 years ago, I was studying abroad at the @UnivofGh. Like spaceflight, it was a positive, life-changing, perspective-deepening experience. Seeing the beauty of Ghana from space reminds me of the amazing people I met there and how in exploring the world, we learn about ourselves. pic.twitter.com/zK3CfRWJHY

— Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) December 12, 2019

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