From a young age, Katherine Bennell-Pegg just knew she wanted to be an astronaut.

Now as an adult, her dream has come true: she is Australia’s first female astronaut. She is also the director of space technology at the Australian Space Agency.

Ms Bennell-Pegg will visit Questacon on Thursday 10 October. While the Q&A section is booked out, visitors to the centre can still attend the meet and greet with Ms Bennell-Pegg from 11am-1pm.

She told CD she was drawn to being an astronaut because of the adventure it offers.

“I was a young curious kid, and I loved exploring the nature and world around me,” Ms Bennell-Pegg said.

“I was in awe of the sky above me, so being an astronaut meant being able to marry the two things.”

Ms Bennell-Pegg said that after working in the space sector for several years, she now understands how important it is.

In 2021, as a dual UK citizen, she was eligible to apply to the European Astronaut Centre’s new call for astronauts.

Out of 22,500 eligible applicants, she was one of only 25 people to successfully pass all selection stages.

Ms Bennell-Pegg said there were six knock-out stages to pass, including medical and psychological tests, scuba diving to practice space works, stress and fitness tests, impromptu speeches and answering technical questions.

In 2023, she began basic astronaut training at the European Astronaut Centre in Germany.

This year, Ms Bennell-Pegg became the first person to complete training as an astronaut under the Australian flag.

While she hasn’t been to space yet, she is now qualified to visit the International Space Station.

Ms Bennell-Pegg laughed when asked how people react when she tells them her profession.

“They’re like ‘oh, wow’ and they get excited,” she said.

“I understand that feeling. I went to talks by Aussies, Dr Paul Scully-Power and (the now late) Philip Chapman.

“People are very excited. It’s an honour to help foster their fascination with exploring the frontier of what we do, the science in space and our place on Earth.”

Dr Scully-Power, an oceanographer, was the first Australian-born person to go to space, while Mr Chapman was the first Australian-born American astronaut, both for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The meet and greet with Ms Bennell-Pegg is on 10 October from 11am-1pm.

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