Australian Space Discovery Centre hosts inaugural Space Day Out

The Australian Space Agency held its first Space Day Out at the Australian Space Discovery Centre in Adelaide's Lot Fourteen precinct on Sunday. The event drew about 2,000 visitors and marked the start of Australian Space Week. Attendees met Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg, who is also the 2026 Australian of the Year.

Young attendees meet astronaut Nine-year-old Chase Iannuzzi traveled from Melbourne for his birthday and said meeting the astronaut was "just so exciting." He added that he wants to be the first person to go to Mars and Pluto. A young visitor named Alice said she has wanted to be an astronaut since she was three and asked Bennell-Pegg whether she was left-handed or right-handed.

STEM education Bennell-Pegg said current Year 12 enrolments in physics and intermediate and higher mathematics are at their lowest levels on record. She said space can help keep young people engaged with science and mathematics. She also said most of an astronaut's work takes place on the ground and that space underpins the modern economy and daily life.

State and national space sector SA minister for defence and space industries Chris Picton said space supports defence, agriculture, and telecommunications in the state. He said South Australia wants to remain at the forefront of the sector. Australian Space Agency head Enrico Palermo said more than $75 million in recent investments by the National Reconstruction Fund have supported the state's space economy.

He noted the presence of companies such as Myriota and Southern Launch at Lot Fourteen and the Koonibba Test Range.