Astronaut Reaches for Stars with Major Honour Katherine Bennell-Pegg, the Australian of the Year, plans to leverage her new role to inspire young people to pursue STEM careers. Recognized for being the first astronaut to train and fly under the Australian flag, she shared her childhood fascination with the stars. Bennell-Pegg intends to use her year-long platform to encourage interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

• Katherine Bennell-Pegg named Australian of the Year.
• She is the first astronaut to train and fly under the Australian flag.
• Bennell-Pegg aims to inspire young people to pursue careers in STEM.
• She shared her childhood awe of the stars as motivation.