Katherine Bennell-Pegg was 13 when she was asked by her school careers adviser to write down the three jobs she’d like to do.
She only wrote one.
Astronaut.
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“I’d grown up looking at the stars and from an early age it was my dream to go to space,” Katherine, now 39, from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, tells New Idea.
“As I got older my parents said I needed to work out how to make that happen. They were always supportive, but my research gave me a sense of realism – I saw how unlikely it was given there was no program in Australia.”
Still, Katherine identified various pathways that could get her there including pilot, scientist and engineer.
It was the latter one that piqued her interest.
“There was an aeronautical engineering university course which had space in the title so I applied for that,” she says.
After four degrees and prestigious roles at space agencies across Europe and Australia, Katherine’s opportunity of a lifetime came up in 2021.
For the first time in 13 years, the European Space Agency was recruiting astronauts.
“Australians weren’t eligible to apply, but I hold a British passport so I could apply with that,” explains Katherine, who by then had welcomed daughters Clara, seven, and Hazel, five, with her equally space-obsessed engineer husband Campbell.
“Over 22,000 people applied. It was crazy odds. I pulled an all-nighter to write the cover letter. I had to put into words a job I’d wanted my whole life.”
From there came 18 months of physical, psychological and medical testing, exams and interviews.
Making it through each stage meant the final rejection – on the grounds of her limited connection with Europe – was devastating.
“Part of the job is to inspire people in your country and I’d only lived in the UK for a short time, so I understood,” Katherine says.
But in February 2023 came a phone call she never expected.
The European Space Agency said Katherine had been selected to complete their program, representing Australia.
It was the first time an Australian would be trained as an astronaut under their own flag.
“It was even better than I could have dreamed of,” she says. “We had weeks to pack up our lives and get to the European Astronaut Centre in Germany for me to start training. The girls were so excited. They were proud of me, but of course the next breath was, ‘what’s for dessert today, Mummy?’”
Katherine is now over halfway through her journey to become an astronaut.
“The topics we’re learning are so broad; it’s not just about how to operate a spacecraft. We have to be scientists, medical test subjects, engineers and learn languages,” Katherine says.
“When we’re finished we’re eligible to be selected for a long-term mission, which could mean going to the moon or six months in the International Space Centre.
“It was always my dream to go to space, but now I’m older it’s not just a dream for me but for what it can bring Australia – in terms of the science, and because I can forge a path for other Australians to follow.”
