Questions over multimillion-dollar cost of sending the Australian of the Year into space

The federal government has made a formal bid to the European Space Agency to send Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg to space, but has refused to say how much the offer is worth, amid doubts it has stumped up enough money to meet the mission’s multimillion-dollar price tag.

In May, the ESA offered to fly Bennell-Pegg, a qualified astronaut and director of space technology at Australian Space Agency, on a future mission at a cost of more than $100 million.

The 2028 flight to the International Space Station would mark the first time an astronaut flies to space under the Australian flag.

Science Minister Tim Ayres’ office would not confirm how much the government’s counteroffer to the ESA was worth.

“The government has long held an ambition to see an Australian astronaut go to space wearing an Australian flag on their space suit,” Ayres said on Friday morning.

“The government has been engaging extensively with the private sector, philanthropists, and other levels of government to raise funding to support a space flight – which is a significant cost. We are grateful to the philanthropists who have committed over $6 million in cash, plus in-kind support, and some indicative support from some state governments.

“We are grateful for the invitation for Katherine Bennell-Pegg to participate in a future mission to the International Space Station and have written to the European Space Agency with an offer that manages the competing pressures on the budget.”

The ESA is expected to make a decision on whether to accept the government’s counter-offer later this year.

A fundraising campaign dubbed #flykatherine has garnered about $25 million from philanthropists and industry donations to support the mission.

Entrepreneurs Jim Whalley and Dick Smith, and companies BHP and Novas Systems, have all committed $1 million to the effort.

“The questions now are how much new funding the Commonwealth is committing, whether ESA has indicated the offer is workable, and what flexibility exists to reach an agreement,” #flykatherine campaign spokesperson and deputy director of the University of Western Australia’s International Space Centre, Larissa Wiese, said.

The federal government asked state governments for funding, but only South Australia has committed support.

Supporters have argued the mission would generate unprecedented momentum for Australia’s space industry and boost careers in STEM.

“This rare opportunity to fly Australia’s astronaut with the European Space Agency is an investment in Australian jobs, research and our next generation of scientists and engineers,” chair of the Space Industry of Association of Australia Darin Lovett said.

“For around $100 million, less than the price of a single coffee for every Australian adult, this is not a ticket to space. It is a down payment on Australia’s future in one of the defining industries of this century.”

Some within the space industry have been critical of the idea, given the cost of the single spaceflight would well exceed the entire annual budget for the Australian Space Agency.

The agency, launched in 2018, was given an operating budget of $21.7 million over two years in the latest budget.

Taxpayers covered Bennell-Pegg’s $466,000 astronaut training with the ESA in 2024.

A number of Australians have gone to space, including Dr Andy Thomas and Paul Scully-Power, who flew with NASA under the US flag. Bennell-Pegg would be the first to do so under the Australian flag.

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