Christina Koch on Space, Cooperation and Her Ghana Connection

NASA astronaut Christina Koch says seeing Earth from space changed how she thinks about humanity and cooperation. She spoke to Africanews in Oviedo, northern Spain, on the sidelines of the Princess of Asturias Awards, where she received the Award for Concord. The Princess of Asturias Foundation announced her win in June, recognizing her space achievements and her commitment to international cooperation.

Koch flew on the Artemis II mission in April and is the first woman to travel around the Moon. She also holds the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman, 328 days. In the interview, she said viewing Earth from space showed how fragile the planet is and how much shared responsibility people carry. 

She said her connection to Africa began with a study-abroad exchange in Ghana, which was her first major change in perspective. There, she said, she met many people who seemed happier than Americans with more material things. “Happiness is a choice that we make,” she said.

Koch argued that space exploration should stay cooperative as it becomes more competitive. She pointed to the International Space Station, where multiple countries have contributed modules, satellites, astronauts, and research, and to NASA’s Artemis Accords, which aim to set shared standards for responsible exploration and invite more nations to take part. 

She also said diversity lowers risk in spaceflight because different backgrounds help teams find better solutions and avoid what she called failures of imagination. On fear, she said she prepares by studying risks in detail and mentally rehearsing her responses.

Koch said she hopes to help the next generation of astronauts and to contribute to future NASA missions in technical roles. Reports describe her as a potential candidate for future lunar-surface missions, though NASA has made no announcement. For now, she said, her focus is her family and restoring a sailboat that holds special meaning for them.