Australia’s first space commander

In January, Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts was promoted from her top job in the RAAF to overseeing a whole new division of the ADF. It marked an extraordinary rise for the young woman from Mount Gambier, who was also one of the RAAF’s first female engineers. Here, she talks about building a culture, her inspirations, and why the country needs to take defence in space seriously

I’m so excited to be Australia’s first space commander! It’s the best title out of any job in defence. I’ve had a passion for space since I was small and saw Neil Armstrong land on the moon. As he uttered those first words, I remember watching around the television in the little country town that we were in, and it was such an incredible moment. I think that moment was when I became inspired by space.

“Australia recognised that defence needed a tranformative change to support the delivery of new space capabilities”

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