Australian taxpayers paid $466,000 for training of nation’s first female astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg

Australian aerospace engineer Katherine Bennell-Pegg at a press conference of European Space Agency class of 2022 astronaut candidates at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, western Germany. Photograph: Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images

Australia’s first female astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, graduated from the European Space Agency’s (Esa) training program on Monday night.

She may be unlikely to take a giant leap into space anytime soon, but is on a mission to bolster the space industry and inspire women and girls.