The European Space Agency has offered Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg a potential place on a future mission to the International Space Station, but the opportunity hinges on raising substantial financial support from both private and public sources.
Danail Obreschkow, director of the University of Western Australia's International Space Centre, estimated the partnership could require an investment of around $100 million. He described the mission as a crucial opportunity for Australia to join the global space economy, which is worth a trillion dollars this year.
Bennell-Pegg, 41, began basic astronaut training with the European Space Agency in 2021 and graduated in 2024. She follows Australian-born astronauts Andy Thomas and Paul Scully-Power, who flew to space as US citizens through NASA.
While touring Western Australia's Goldfields as part of her Australian of the Year commitments, Bennell-Pegg expressed hope that her journey could unlock opportunities for Australia in human spaceflight, payload deployment, and research. A spokesperson for Federal Science Minister Tim Ayres acknowledged ongoing discussions with the European Space Agency but did not guarantee support.
The outreach program, organized by Auspire and the Australian Space Agency, aims to inspire students to pursue STEM. In Kalgoorlie-Boulder, year 12 student Michaela Jean Stanton, who dreams of becoming an astronaut, said meeting Bennell-Pegg was inspiring. Kalgoorlie-Boulder Mayor Glenn Wilson also noted the significance of having an Australian astronaut visit the region.
