By Angus Dalton
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Australia now has an astronaut capable of travelling to the International Space Station — Katherine Bennell-Pegg, who graduated from the European Space Agency’s basic astronaut training overnight.
The Sydney-born engineer is the first astronaut trained under the Australian flag and would be the first Australian woman to go to space, should the opportunity arise.
Katherine Bennell-Pegg has become the first astronaut trained under the Australian flag.Credit: European Space Agency
Two Australian-born astronauts, Paul Scully-Power and Andy Thomas, have travelled into space but did so under the US flag after becoming American citizens so they could fly with NASA.
What does astronaut school look like?
Bennell-Pegg, 39, spent the past year testing her mind and body against the forces astronauts are exposed to during spaceflight. The European Space Agency’s program trains prospective astronauts in spacewalking, flight engineering, robotics, survival know-how and medical expertise.
That program included experiencing weightlessness in 22-second bursts via parabolic flights that simulate zero-gravity, subjecting herself to high G-forces with centrifuge training, recreating remote survival scenarios and training underwater with scuba gear.
Training involved visiting a mock-up of the International Space Station, scuba diving and simulated zero-gravity parabolic flights.Credit: European Space Agency
She also visited a mock-up of the International Space Station at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre, which is used to train astronauts how to use the station’s gym, bathroom and airlock.
Bennell-Pegg, who is a dual Australian-UK citizen, applied to join the European Astronaut Corps in 2021. She was one of the last 25 candidates but was not selected for the final 17.
The Australian Space Agency, where Bennell-Pegg works as its director of space technology, stepped in to fund her training with the European Space Agency, with the goal of bringing back knowledge to the domestic space industry.
Two Australian-born astronauts, Paul Scully-Power and Andy Thomas, have travelled into space but did so after becoming US citizens so they could fly with NASA.Credit: NASA, AP
“Representing Australia is filled with opportunities to propel our nation’s science and technology forward in the global space arena and to raise the level of aspiration for the next generation,” Bennell-Pegg said ahead of her graduation.
“I hope my training and whatever comes next helps unlock the path for more Australians to become involved in human spaceflight.”
But now that Australia has a new astronaut, is it feasible to send her on a trip beyond our atmosphere – and how might she get there?
Could, and should, Bennell-Pegg get to space?
While her fellow graduates are all headed for space between now and 2030, spaceflight for Bennell-Pegg isn’t guaranteed.
Australia doesn’t have a human spaceflight program, but one of our astronauts could be invited by another nation’s space agency to participate in a mission. NASA’s administrator Bill Nelson even told the National Press Club last year that he’d like to “see an Australian train and fly with us”.
Another potential route for someone in Bennell-Pegg’s position to make it to the International Space Station is through Axiom Space, a company that runs private astronaut missions.
Turkey and Sweden bought crew seats for their astronauts on an Axiom mission to the space station in January, at a reported cost of $US55 million ($85 million) a seat – which well exceeds the entire annual budget of the Australian Space Agency.
Bennell-Pegg visited Axiom’s headquarters as part of her training, but the Australian Space Agency isn’t considering purchasing one of these crew seats.
Four astronauts (in dark blue suits) on the International Space Station in February after travelling privately with Axiom Space.Credit: NASA
Figures within the space industry have questioned whether it would be worth it to take the leap from training an Australian astronaut – which cost $466,000 – to actually funding a trip to space against a backdrop of budget cuts to Australia’s space sector.
Two industry sources, who spoke anonymously to avoid professional repercussions, said they were concerned that pouring resources into human spaceflight could risk further cuts to “significant space science programs including Earth observation, climate change monitoring, bushfire protection, flood monitoring and remote community communication”.
In last year’s federal budget, the government slashed $77 million from space industry funding, which included support for the development of spaceports and getting Australian technology into orbit.
The government also axed the $1.2 billion National Space Mission for Earth Observation program, which would have led to four Australian-built satellites being launched to gather data on weather, agriculture and natural disasters.
A spokesperson for federal Science Minister Ed Husic said: “We put the Australian Space Agency on a sustainable footing with core funding of $34.2 million and continue to support a number of other space programs, including the $150 million Moon to Mars initiative.”
Meanwhile, Greens senator David Shoebridge has lodged questions on notice to Husic, probing the Australian Space Agency’s decision to send one its own employees for training.
“If our government is going to invest nearly half a million dollars in having ‘an Australian astronaut’, there should at least be a transparent selection process and some kind of rational explanation about how this helps build a domestic space industry,” Shoebridge said.
Capitalising on a $1.5 trillion industry
Dr Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says the government needs to back the entire space industry now if it is to reap the benefits of what’s projected to be a $1.5 trillion industry by 2040.
SpaceX’s mega rocket, Starship, launches for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, in November last year.Credit: AP
But Davis argues that trained Australian astronauts are a critical part of that support. He says the barrier to entry for getting to space will fall dramatically in the near future with the development of hypersonic space planes – which could one day take off, visit low Earth orbit, and return to Earth like normal airliners – and SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s reusable Starship launch vehicle.
“I’ve always held the belief that Australia should develop a cadre or core of a small number of astronauts that can fly on international missions,” Davis says.
“If you can imagine the scenario, for example, in the late 2020s, or the early 2030s, where you have a young Australian woman standing on the lunar surface in a spacesuit with the Australian flag on that space suit, that sends a very strong message to young women and men around Australia.”
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