The first Australian to qualify as an astronaut under Australia’s space program, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, is the 2026 Australian of the Year.
Bennell-Pegg, 41, who has yet to go to space, graduated from Basic Astronaut Training in 2024 as part of a class of six trained by the European Astronaut Centre in Germany. She was the first international candidate to do so. She had been picked for the program from more than 22,500 applicants.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese presented the Australian of the Year awards on Sunday night.
