Katherine Bennell-Pegg, the first Australian astronaut to train under the Australian flag, has been named Australian of the Year for 2026. The 41-year-old space scientist received the honour at a ceremony in Canberra on Sunday night, where she spoke of her hope to inspire young people to pursue their dreams.
Born in Sydney and raised on the northern beaches, Bennell-Pegg studied aeronautical engineering and physics at Sydney University before completing two master's degrees in Europe. In 2021, she was invited to train with the European Space Agency, and in 2024 she became the first Australian woman to graduate from the program, earning the right to fly under the Australian flag.
In her acceptance speech, Bennell-Pegg recalled the emotional moment she received her blue flight suit with the Australian flag on the shoulder. 'It said that the door has opened for Australia to take our place at the forefront of human endeavour,' she said. She also paid tribute to earlier Australian-born astronauts Paul Scully-Power and Andy Thomas, who flew to space as US citizens.
Bennell-Pegg currently lives in Adelaide, where she volunteers with the West Beach Surf Life Saving club. In December 2024, she was appointed as an Air Force reservist. While she awaits a space flight assignment, she hopes her award will encourage more Australians to reach for the stars.
The award was presented by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who also announced the creation of the Neale Daniher MND clinical network, a government-funded program to tackle motor neurone disease. Daniher, the 2025 Australian of the Year, was unable to attend the ceremony due to illness.
Other winners included ultra-marathon runner Nedd Brockmann as Young Australian of the Year, dementia researcher Henry Brodaty as Senior Australian of the Year, and Noongar man Frank Mitchell as Local Hero.
