Strapping on a spacesuit and blasting off into space is a childhood fantasy shared by many. Yesterday, that dream became a reality for Sydney-born Katherine Bennell-Pegg, who has qualified to become the first astronaut to represent Australia in space.
The 39-year-old dynamo, who works as the Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency, is not only the first Australian woman to be trained as an astronaut by an international space agency, but also the first to be trained while representing the Australian flag. She follows in the celestial footsteps of South Australian aerospace engineer Andy Thomas, who joined a NASA mission in 1984, and Sydney-born oceanographer Paul Scully-Power, who flew to space with NASA in 1996. Despite being Australian-born, both men were United States citizens at the time, so they went to space with the American flag on their flight suits. This means that if Bennell-Pegg gets the call-up, she’ll make history as the first-ever astronaut to rock the Aussie flag while exploring the cosmos.
From taking flying lessons as a teenager and serving in the Army Reserves, to volunteering in the NSW SES and jet-setting to India with Engineers Without Borders, this is something Bennell-Pegg has dreamt of and chased her whole entire life. Oh, and that’s not to mention that she’s completed a double degree in engineering and science, and is also a full-time mum of two. We guess some people really can do it all.
A woman on a mission, Bennell-Pegg has just wrapped up a year-long boot camp at ESA's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. She was one of only 25 applicants – and the first international astronaut recruit – invited to join the ESA’s training program in 2022, after beating more than 22,500 eligible applicants. Throughout the 12-month program, she undertook training in spacewalking, spacecraft systems, robotics, flight engineering and sea survival, and even studied Russian.
Bennell-Pegg joined the elite club of six graduates this April, earning her official astronaut wings for missions to the International Space Station and beyond. But for now, she’s jetting back to Adelaide to work at the Australian Space Agency. There’s no guarantee that she’ll fly to space, as the final countdown depends on whether Australia has the funding and a scientific program to support the future mission. For now, it’s all written in the stars.
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