Australia’s Minister for Industry and Science has revealed that the Australian Space Agency (ASA) spent AUD $466,000 to include its Director of Space Technology in the most recent round of European Space Agency astronaut training.
In late March, Australia’s senator for New South Wales, David Shoebridge, formally questioned the country’s Minister of Industry and Science on the specifics of the inclusion of ASA Director of Space Technology Katherine Bennell-Pegg in the year-long ESA astronaut training. On 30 April, the answers to Shoebridge’s questions were officially published.
In addition to the full cost of the training, the answers also revealed the nature of Bennell-Pegg’s selection and why a public selection process open to all Australian citizens had not occurred.
“An Australian Space Agency employee was seconded to the European Space Agency (ESA) to complete Basic Astronaut Training. The secondment opportunity was offered by ESA in relation to this employee following her successful private participation in a European Astronaut Corps selection process.”
Bennell-Pegg is a citizen of both Australia and the United Kingdom. Following an ESA call for new astronaut recruits in 2021, she applied for the selection process as a citizen of the United Kingdom and was ultimately unsuccessful in her bid. In March 2023, ASA announced that Bennell-Pegg would nonetheless attend the ESA astronaut training programme but would do so under the flag of Australia.
Speaking to European Spaceflight, ESA appeared to diplomatically deviate from the minister’s characterization.
“After initial consultation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Australian Space Agency (ASA) on opportunities to train an Australian candidate astronaut as part of ESA basic training, ESA made an offer to ASA according to ESA rules to implement this third-party opportunity.”
On 22 April, Bennell-Pegg and the ESA career astronauts graduated from basic training. While the five new ESA astronauts will now be in the running for missions to the International Space Station, Australia has no plans to purchase a ride to space for Bennell-Pegg. In response to the question, the country’s Minister for Industry and Science responded, “No.”
The one major question remaining is what ASA got for its AUD $466,000 investment.
“The secondment has opened pathways for enhanced cooperation between ESA and the Australian Space Agency and space sector, including through a March 2024 Australian Civil Space Delegation to the European Astronaut Centre. The seconded will return to the Australian Space Agency with insights and expertise, including in relation to space launch and returns, industry collaboration and supply chains, and STEM workforce development for space-related applications.”
The Australian Space Agency’s budget for the 2023-24 period was AUD $34.2 million. Bennell-Pegg’s training accounts for 1.36% of the agency’s spending.
