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Follow us on GoogleChristina Birch is busy showing the world you can do it all, because the 39-year-old former cyclist will soon be flying to space for NASA. The Arizona native and multiple U.S champion has been selected for the SpaceX-14 mission, which is set to launch in the spring of 2027, according to Velo.
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Birch has already found success as a road and track cyclist
Birch successfully competed as a road and track cyclist for many years, winning several medals in the Track World Cup and enjoying success at the U.S. Championships and the Pan American Games.
Birch enjoyed her heyday in 2016, 2017, and 2018, during which she consistently competed for medals in several track disciplines in the United States—and won. During her time as a cyclist, she won 11 National Championship titles.
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In 2019, Birch won gold medals at the Pan American Games in the team pursuit and the madison. In 2021, she was a member of the U.S. team pursuit squad which ultimately won bronze at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
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Christina Birch is adding to her already long list of achievements
During her active career, Birch studied and earned one degree after another. She has degrees in mathematics, biochemistry, and molecular biophysics. In 2015, she earned a PhD in biological engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Having retired from professional cycling in 2021, she was accepted into NASA’s 23rd Astronaut Class on December 6 of that year.
In a video for NASA, she said becoming an astronaut was an incredible opportunity to 'achieve things humankind have never done before'.
She also stated she had 'always been really inspired by my teammates and colleagues'. She went on to list her former lab mates, and the 'incredibly talented' riders she worked alongside as a cyclist.
Birch gave an interview for NASA highlighting some of her journey to becoming an astronaut
Birch will go to space in 2027
Birch said working as a cyclist taught her to 'push hard' and 'bring her best everyday', which is something she is continuing to apply to her new role in outer space.
According to her NASA astronaut bio, Birch worked as a scientific consultant in various technology sectors such as vaccine development during her time as a professional cyclist.
At NASA, Birch found what she had been searching for all those years. In early 2027, she will go to space on a mission to conduct “scientific research and technology demonstrations to prepare people for future exploration missions to the Moon and Mars.”
For fans: here's Birch's Instagram page.
Birch will be heading to space no sooner than spring 2027, according to Velo
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Clarice WebsterEditor
Clarice has been following cycling her whole life, wroting about Thibaut Pinot (among others) for her university magazine while earning her masters in Journalism. She is passionate about furthering equality in sports coverage, and has taken huge inspiration from pillars of women’s cycling like Beryl Burton, Marianne Vos, and Laura Kenny.
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Latest Comments
- - Un poco corto en la parte técnica de la bici de McNulty, no? Colnago nero con detalles arcoíris suena brutal — queremos más fotos, per favore.pedalpowe2902-10-2026
- - Demi finally gets her stripes! Team Oranje tactics on point again — recon, lead-out, and that patient regroup. Textbook. Chapeau.sprocketspiny02-10-2026
- - Wait, does the world champ jersey apply to all disciplines or just road race? Can McNulty wear it in a TT too, or is that only if he won the TT worlds?davidm02-10-2026
- - Brilliant coverage. The early flight back to beat jet lag is elite-level thinking. Those marginal gains matter before a punchy Euros course.samanthak02-10-2026
- - Not sure the “surprised everyone” line about McNulty is fair. He’s been knocking on the door all season in one-day races and TTs. Emilia in rainbows is going to slap.patriciaw02-10-2026
- - Love seeing the rainbow bands back on Slovenian roads. Demi looks sharp in that kit. Hope she gets a full custom bike soon, not just a tiny stripe under the seatpost. Come on, give the champ a proper paint job!cadencekingm02-10-2026
- - Quick one: why can’t McNulty wear the rainbow at Euros? Is it only for world champs from Europe or something about national teams vs trade teams?lindae02-10-2026
- - That Dutch masterclass was something else. Vollering timed that second move perfectly after the first dig didn’t stick. Proper teamwork — Wiebes and the crew deserve as much credit as Demi.julien02-10-2026
- - Boonen’s line about trusting teammates is gold. World’s is chess, not crit. Belgium tried to cover every scenario and covered none. Harsh lesson, but needed before next year.samanthak02-10-2026
- - Great read, but the piece leans a bit too harsh on Wout for me. He wasn’t at leader-level form, true, yet the team didn’t set up a plan B well enough. Segaert the bright spot, agreed.julien02-10-2026
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