Astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg named Australian of the Year

Katherine Bennell-Pegg, the first Australian astronaut to train under the national flag, has been named Australian of the Year at a ceremony in Canberra. The 41-year-old, who has not yet flown to space, told the audience that receiving her blue flight suit and seeing the Australian flag on her shoulder was emotional because "it marked something so much greater than myself" and "said that the door has opened for Australia to take our place at the forefront of human endeavour." She said she hoped the award would inspire young people to chase their dreams: "It gave me hope – hope that one day more Aussie flags on spacesuits will follow." Born in Sydney and raised on the northern beaches, Bennell-Pegg studied aeronautical engineering and physics at Sydney University, completed two masters degrees in Europe, and was invited to undertake astronaut training with the European Space Agency in 2021.

In 2024 she became the first Australian woman to graduate from that program and the first astronaut to fly under the Australian flag. She lives in Adelaide, volunteers with the West Beach Surf Life Saving club and was appointed an Air Force reservist in December 2024. Bennell-Pegg takes over the honour from Neale Daniher, who received it in 2025 but did not attend the ceremony because he was too unwell to fly, his wife Jan said: "We call MND the beast.

Key Topics

Culture, Katherine Bennell-pegg, European Space Agency, Sydney University, Canberra, Neale Daniher