By Sarah Cope | 2026-05-07

The National Australia Day Council's selection of Katherine Bennell-Pegg as the 2026 Australian of the Year marks the first time an astronaut has received the country’s highest civic honor.

The selection of an astronaut for the award, presented during a January 25 ceremony in the capital, Canberra, also underscores the increasing importance of science, technology and space capabilities in Australia.

Bennell-Pegg, an engineer by trade, became the first qualified astronaut under the Australian flag in 2024.

Eligible by virtue of her dual citizenship with the United Kingdom, she was qualified to apply to the European Space Agency’s call for astronauts.

She was one of 25 applicants, out of 22,500 eligible, to pass all selection stages, beginning her training in 2023 at the European Astronaut Center in Germany.

"When I received my blue flight suit, and right there, bright on the left shoulder was the Australian flag, it was quite emotional, because it marked something so much greater than myself," Bennell-Pegg said during her acceptance speech.

"It said that the door has opened for Australia to take our place at the forefront of human endeavor."

Before she became an astronaut, Bennell-Pegg worked in Europe on an array of space projects before returning to Australia in 2019 to become the assistant manager of the Australian Space Agency's Chief Technology Office.

In 2022 she was named director of space technology, a position she still holds.

While Bennell-Pegg has yet to fly into space, her status as a qualified astronaut representing Australia is a first of its kind, paving the way for an Australian-flagged pathway into spaceflight.

Other Australian-born astronauts have flown under foreign flags. Paul-Scully Power became the first Australian-born person in orbit in 1984, flying as a US civilian payload specialist aboard a NASA mission.

Andy Thomas became a US citizen in 1986 as a part of his efforts to be eligible for NASA’s astronaut program. Thomas flew four missions for NASA between 1996 and 2005.

Australia’s growing space program

The National Australia Day Council's decision aligns with its core selection criteria: Australians who represent excellence in a field; contribute to the nation; and are able to serve as an inspiration to other Australians.

The selection of Bennell-Pegg is seen as a sign of Australia's intensified focus on space in recent years, following the establishment of the Australian Space Agency in 2018.

Australia has joined international frameworks such as the Artemis Accords, an indicator of its ambitions to contribute to the shaping of how the international community governs and explores space.

Increased investment in satellite manufacturing and other space technologies indicates deepened focus on space by both commercial and government entities.

During NASA’s recent Artemis II mission, CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, provided key spacecraft communications and tracking systems.

NASA’s Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC) is managed by CSIRO and is one of three stations that comprise NASA’s Deep Space Network, providing critical constant contact with over three dozen spacecraft in orbit.

"That imperative to look to the sky and wonder, to innovate and explore is an ancient one on this continent," Bennell-Pegg said in her January 25 acceptance speech, according to the Australian Broadcasting Network.

"Australia's First Nations peoples' deep connection to sky country reminds us that looking up has always been part of who we are."