Meet the first astronaut to represent Australia: Katherine Bennell-Pegg

A small number of Aussies have trained as astronauts and gone to space, representing other nations. But on Monday, Katherine Bennell-Pegg becomes the first ever Australian-badged astronaut.

Australian Space Agency’s Katherine Bennell-Pegg has never lost sight of the child growing up in Sydney’s northern beaches who was mermerised by the stars.

On a freezing cold but clear night alone in the Spanish Pyrenees during “winter-survival training”, apprentice-astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg had nothing else to do but look up at the sky.

The team of six astronauts attached to the European Space Agency had been learning how to survive in cold temperatures in case, on re-entry to Earth, they unexpectedly landed in a remote place and had to survive until rescued.

For a week, they were taught how to live off the land with only a space capsule, kind-of like a parachute, and spent nights isolated and alone in the forest.

One particularly cold night, the sky was “bright and bursting” with stars.

“Without a phone or even a watch, once I’d set things up, there was nothing to do but look up and be mesmerised by the same stars that had me in awe as a kid and drew me to space in the first place,” she said.

Graduating classmates include, from left, Sophie Adenot (France), Pablo Álvarez Fernàndez (Spain), Rosemary Coogan (UK), Katherine Bennell-Pegg (Australia), Raphaël Liégeois (Belgium) and Marco Sieber (Switzerland).

Bennell-Pegg to ‘boldly go where no Australian woman has gone before’.

The astronaut is fulfilling a lifelong dream.

A small number of Australians have trained as astronauts and gone to space, representing the US and other nations.

But on Monday, Ms Bennell-Pegg will become the first ever Australian-badged astronaut.

During 13 months of arduous basic training at the European Space Agency in Germany, she has never lost sight of the child, growing up in Sydney’s northern beaches, who wanted to go to space.

In the stands on Monday, as she graduates with her five classmates, will be her father and her parents-in-law, who have flown over for the occasion, her kids and her husband. Her class, the first to graduate from the ESA in about 15 years, will receive their astronaut “wings”, a class patch and a class name – which will be a surprise.

She has already received the congratulations of Dr Andy Thomas, the first Australian-born NASA Mission Specialist, who told her she was “ready to make the next giant leap” and “boldly go where no Australian woman has gone before”.

Once a certified astronaut, she is eligible for missions to the International Space Station or further to Artemis. While its been her lifelong dream, she says it's a decision Australia will need to make “when the time is right”.

“Some astronauts have waited more than a decade to fly, and it’s more impactful when they do,” she says.

Ms Bennell-Pegg trained for 13 months at the European Space Agency in Germany.

For now, she will return to Adelaide as a permanent employee of the Australian Space Agency where she says she could “contribute to so many things including advising on space and opportunities internationally, as well as how Australia can leverage platforms and maintain connections”.

Australian Space Agency boss Enrico Palermo is sure of that too, saying her training has “opened doors that will further grow our local space ecosystem”.

“Katherine will return to Australia a qualified astronaut brimming with knowledge, insights and connections that will help generate global opportunities for our industry,” he says.

Ms Bennell-Pegg’s astronaut training has included parabolic flight exercises to understand exactly what a plane does to the body in 1.8 G-force; underwater training that emulates descending over the space station in zero gravity; and medical research, since without gravity, astronauts can investigate diseases of the heart and bones, carry out stem-cell experiments, and investigate diseases like Alzheimers.

“Sending people into space is about more than just exploring. It allows us to do unique science, unlocks knowledge and develops technology that benefits life on Earth – from new medicines and health breakthroughs to how we grow food and conserve water,” Mr Palermo says.