Astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg Named 2026 Australian of the Year
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg was named the 2026 Australian of the Year on Jan. 25, 2026, in Canberra for her achievements in space engineering and her role as the first astronaut qualified under the Australian flag.
The award followed her selection as South Australia's Australian of the Year on Nov. 15, 2025, according to the official Australians of the Year website.
Bennell-Pegg, born in Sydney on Dec. 15, 1984, now lives in Adelaide. She completed a 12-month European Space Agency astronaut training program in 2024, becoming the first Australian-flagged astronaut, according to ABC News and the ESA.
She serves as director of space technology at the Australian Space Agency, joined the 2023 Australian Astronaut Group 1 and the 2022 ESA astronaut group, and holds an honorary Group Captain rank in the Royal Australian Air Force, according to ABC News and the ESA.
The award also recognizes her public outreach, including speeches to schoolchildren and industry leaders, and her inspiration from childhood stargazing and Indigenous connections to "sky country," ABC News reported.
"As a kid, I used to lie on the dry grass in my backyard and gaze up at the stars in awe," Bennell-Pegg said in her acceptance speech, according to ABC News. "That imperative to look to the sky and wonder, to innovate and explore is an ancient one on this continent. Australia's First Nations peoples' deep connection to sky country reminds us that looking up has always been part of who we are."
Other 2026 winners include Professor Henry Brodaty AO as Senior Australian of the Year for dementia research, Nedd Brockmann as Young Australian of the Year for homelessness efforts, and Frank Mitchell as Local Hero for Indigenous employment initiatives, according to ABC News and the official website.
In South Australia, category winners included Chloe Wyatt-Jasper and Malcolm Benoy, ABC News reported.
Bennell-Pegg's ESA training included learning Russian for potential International Space Station collaborations, extended scuba sessions to simulate spacewalks, and exposure to low-oxygen, low-pressure chambers for hypobaric simulations of space conditions, according to ABC News and the ESA.
Australia established its space agency in 2018 to build sovereign capabilities, with a budget exceeding 1.2 billion Australian dollars, according to government statements. Previously, Australians like Paul Scully-Power in 1984 and Andy Thomas in the 1990s flew on NASA missions but not under the Australian flag, space historians noted.
Bennell-Pegg's qualification supports the agency's goals and positions her for potential missions through ESA, which enables flights to the International Space Station or beyond, according to ESA records. Her achievement reflects Australia's growing space sector, which supports more than 10,000 jobs in satellite technology and lunar ambitions, industry reports said.
She hopes her path from backyard stargazing to astronaut inspires others in STEM fields, particularly women and those from non-traditional space nations, experts said. Indigenous knowledge systems, including "sky country" concepts, have influenced her perspective and tie into national reconciliation efforts, ABC News reported.
The award highlights Australia's maturation in the global space race and Bennell-Pegg's trailblazing status, officials said. While Australia lacks an independent human spaceflight program historically, her milestone fosters international partnerships for future missions, space historians added.
Her engineering background aids her agency work, though specific projects like satellite or launch systems are not detailed in available sources. Full education details, including thesis topics from Cranfield University and Luleå University of Technology, remain unverified in primary sources. Official ESA and Australian Space Agency press releases could confirm selections and rank but were unavailable for this report.
Editor's Note: Some claims rely on secondary sources like Wikipedia and Reddit; primary verification is recommended for publication. Technical terms such as "hypobaric simulation" appear correctly used based on space training contexts.
