Australia’s first flagged astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg awaits International Space Station call-up

Things can go wrong in space.

If an astronaut needs to perform CPR on International Space Stationin a zero gravity environment, how would they not just be ejected from the patient instead of being able to perform compressions?

They put their feet on the roof and use it to stabilize themselves. After all, there is no turning back.

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It’s the kind of skill Catherine Bennell-Peg has learned.

“So I just graduated as an astronaut…even better, an Australian astronaut who can carry that flag on his shoulder, representing all the ingenuity back home,” the 39-year-old told 7NEWS in her first interview since graduating .

This is the Australian flag on her shoulder. This is a new land for Catherine and Australia.

Bennell-Peg began training at the European Space Agency in Germany in April 2023 and was one of six astronauts to graduate from the program this year. She became the first to qualify as an astronaut under the Australian flag.

“I’m so excited about the future, not just for me, but what this can do for Australia’s ability to access space and all the potential that comes with that,” she said.

Catherine is supported by the six-year-old Australian Space Agency, which runs the thriving but nascent space industry around its headquarters in Adelaide.

It’s where people like Hailey Nietzke, 22, and Sophie Hagley, 24, hope to be one day.

Sophie completed a double degree in mechanical engineering and astrophysics at the Australian National University, but ended up at the Airbus Defense and Space Center in Stevenage outside London to put it to use. She helps design spaceships.

Catherine also started her career at Airbus.

“Obviously for us, we start our careers and we see it and think, ‘This is amazing.’ We worked in the same company. Now she is an astronaut. But I also think that for the whole of Australia she will be a huge role model,” Sophie said.

Sophie’s flatmate, Hayley, is an RMIT graduate and hopes that Catherine’s trip to space means they’ll all find space jobs back home.

“It’s just a matter of time … we get more funding, we can do the coolest new things and eventually hopefully some of the bigger companies in the space industry might move to Australia to help support and development, that would be perfect,” Haley said.

For Catherine, it’s not just about fulfilling her childhood dream of being an astronaut, it’s about making sure Australia can make the most of the renewed interest in getting people back to the moon and beyond.

“It’s about going to the moon to stay there and do very good science there that we’ve never done before. To learn about the earth and its climate, to learn about our origins and to understand how humanity can continue to cross that boundary,” she said.

“I left Australia many years after university because I didn’t believe I would have the chance to do what I wanted in our country, it’s totally changed, they can have a space career without leaving their state.

“It is often said that the first man on Mars is in a classroom today – and it could be a classroom in Australia.”

7NEWS European Bureau Chief Hugh Whitfeld from Stevenage, England.