The Australian government has submitted an offer to the European Space Agency to send astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg, the current Australian of the Year, to the International Space Station, Science Minister Tim Ayres said Friday^1,2.

ABC News Australia reported the submission as a counteroffer to an ESA proposal². The Guardian reported the possible flight as a 2028 mission¹.

If ESA accepts, Bennell-Pegg would train at ESA's astronaut centre in Cologne, Germany, and at NASA facilities in the United States, ABC reported². She completed basic astronaut training with ESA in 2024².

ABC said that if the bid is accepted, she would become the first person to fly to space as a formal representative of Australia². The Guardian described the same outcome as flying under the Australian flag¹.

Ayres said the government had submitted a final bid to ESA and that the project required careful fiscal management². A spokesperson for the minister said Canberra had long sought an Australian astronaut in a suit bearing the Australian flag, and that the government had talked with the private sector, philanthropists and other levels of government about funding².

The spokesperson said philanthropists had committed more than $6 million in cash plus in-kind support, with some indicative support from state governments². ABC said South Australia was the only state or territory to have publicly confirmed financial support².

The federal government did not say how much it would contribute². ABC said the move is widely reported to cost $100 million². ESA's response was not reported^1,2.

Sources

1. The GuardianAustralia offers astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg for space mission to International Space StationOct 22, 7:27 PM
2. ABC News AustraliaFederal government makes offer to send Australian of the Year to spaceOct 22, 7:01 PM

Read the original at The Guardian ↗