Katherine Bennell-Pegg (born 1984 or 1985) is an Australian space engineer and qualified astronaut, although she has not as yet flown in space. As of 2025[update] she is director of space technology at the Australian Space Agency, an Australian government agency. In 2024, she became the first qualified astronaut under the Australian flag as well as the first female Australian to be trained as an astronaut.
She completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), Aeronautical & Space Engineering, and a Bachelor of Advanced Science majoring in physics at the University of Sydney.[4] She received the Charles Kuller Graduation Prize for her undergraduate thesis.[5][6]
During her university education, Bennell-Pegg also completed the Space Studies Program at the International Space University, from 29 June to 28 August 2009 (SSP09)[8] at the NASA Ames Research Center. The 131 participants from 35 countries undertook three projects: ACCESS Mars: Assessing Cave Capabilities Establishing Specific Solutions; SAFEN EARTH: Space Aid for Energy Needs on Earth; and DREAM: Disaster Risk Evaluation and Management.[9]
In her various roles at Airbus, she worked as a thermal architect on the LISA Pathfinder project; contributed to advanced ISRU (in-situ resource utilisation) technologies and a Martian vehicle design; developed an InSAR mission concept to measure ocean surface currents; and headed a team tasked with designing concepts for Orion missions.[8]
Australian Space Agency
Bennell-Pegg moved back to Australia to support the growing local space sector and started her position as the assistant manager of space capability and robotics and automation at the Australian Space Agency based in Adelaide, South Australia, in 2019. In March 2022 she was promoted to the role of director of space technology.[13][10]
Australian training
As a British-Australian dual citizen, Bennell-Pegg applied to join the European Astronaut Corps in early 2021,[14] in the first intake since 2009.[15] She was one of the 25 finalists for the 2022 ESA Astronaut Group, but was not selected as part of the 17-person crew.[16] However, the Australian Space Agency sponsored her training with the European Space Agency (ESA), announcing in March 2023 that she would train alongside the mission crew at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC)[14] in Germany.[13] This marked the first time ESA provided basic training to an astronaut candidate from an international partner, making the EAC the third centre in the world to do so.[17] Bennell-Pegg was one of a class of six, selected from 225,000 applicants worldwide.[18] She completed the ESA Basic Training curriculum and graduated with her ESA classmates from "The Hoppers" group on 22 April 2024 as a fully-qualified astronaut.[19][20][1]
Bennell-Pegg became the first Australian woman to qualify as an astronaut,[21] and the first person to train as an astronaut under the Australian flag. Previous Australian-born astronauts, Paul Scully-Power and Andy Thomas, flew to space as US citizens representing NASA.[2] UK-born Australian citizen Meganne Christian was also selected as a member of the 2022 ESA astronaut reserve, representing the UK Space Agency.[22]
Royal Australian Air Force
On 5 December 2024, Bennell-Pegg was appointed as a reservist group captain in the Royal Australian Air Force in the role of a specialist capability officer in the Air Force Reserve. Her duties include instructing and informing colleagues about human performance optimisation, space capabilities and technologies, and how to build the necessary resilience for a resourceful, ready and inclusive workforce.[23]
She is a delegate of the American-Australian Leadership Dialogue,[24] and mentors junior space engineers regularly.[24] She engages with school students to inspire them to study STEM subjects, as well as talking to industry leaders and community groups to advocate for the growing Australian space industry.[18]
Recognition and awards
2020: Selected as a member fellow of The Karman Project, a global one-year program for leaders in the space industry[25][8]
She has enjoyed hobbies such as scuba diving, flying, surfing, basketball, sports coaching, tennis, reading, hiking, and cycling.[24]
She met and married spacecraft systems engineer Campbell Pegg while working for Airbus in Germany, around 2017.[13]As of August 2025[update] Bennell-Pegg lives in the Adelaide suburb of West Beach, with her husband and two children.[24]
↑Polymeneas, Evangeline (7 March 2023). "Out of this world: South Australia's best recognised in Woman of the Year Awards". The Advertiser. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2023. The sky was not the limit for the winner of the OCPSE Leader of the Year and overall winner, Katherine Bennell Pegg, who dreamt of being sent to space...
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