Charles Bolden admitted that no country can go it alone into space, a sign that America's era of dominance may be over

No country can go it alone into space in today's harsh economic climate, the head of Nasa has admitted, in what may be seen as a tacit admission that America's era of dominance is over.

Charles Bolden was speaking on the opening day of the 62nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), the biggest annual gathering of the international space community, which has come to Africa for the first time.

In a further sign of global democratisation, the Nasa administrator shared a panel with the heads of the European, Indian, Japanese and Russian space agencies. The most notable absentee was China.

"International cooperation is important not just because of finances but because in this day and age you can no longer afford to leave ideas on the table," Bolden told the Guardian. "We don't have the corner on the market on everything technological. I can go to any of my partners here and we could pick a topic and they will dwarf me in their knowledge of it, and so we need to be able to take the best from all of us in trying to go forward in exploration."

With the space shuttle defunct , and US domestic spending under extraordinary pressure, Bolden appeared to strike a tone of humility far removed from the patriotism of the Apollo moon landings. "No one nation is going to be able to do the things that we all want to do alone, so it's very important for every nation to participate. Some will be able to work with everyone and some may not."

Asked if America feels threatened by China's ambitious space programme, he replied: "The Authorisation Act of 2010 and other acts that I am governed by as the head of Nasa prohibit me from being involved in bilateral relationships with China right now. That's where it is."

Both Bolden and his European Space Agency counterpart, Jean-Jacques Dordain, said discussions were ongoing around their joint Mars exploration programme. But the Nasa leader was hopeful that the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in 2016 to replace the ageing Hubble telescope, will escape the axe of US politicians.

"It is an incredible, incredible instrument that will continue to revolutionise our understanding of our universe. I hate to say this as a Hubble hugger: it will dwarf Hubble in its ability to get data and to look deeper and deeper into our universe. It is vitally important, not just for the United States but for the whole world of astrophysics and science.

"It is an international collaboration, it is a well developed programme that we've reorganised: I've brought responsibility into my office, so I'm the one that's responsible for its success or failure, and I intend for it to be a success. We've gone to the Congress and so far the Congress looks like they're going to support the recommendations that we've made, but that's still to be determined."

He admitted: "It's a tough uphill battle for us but we're convinced that we have a very good plan, our testing is going very well and we're really looking forward to being able to launch the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) on our timeline."

The IAC has brought more than 2,000 scientists from around the world to Cape Town. Its African debut comes at a moment the continent is reaching for the stars, notably with its bid to host the world's biggest radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array. There is already talk of an "African space race" between South Africa and Nigeria, which recently launched two satellites built by local engineers.

The event hopes to boost cooperation between African space experts and the rest of the world. Russia's space agency head, Vladimir Popovkin, said: "We shall cooperate with African countries on the use of space data and technologies for the benefit of African people, be it in the field of telecommunications or data management or telecoms or navigations. We know Russia has friendly relations with most African countries and we can contribute to the development of African expertise in the field of space activities."

In another panel discussion, African space leaders admitted they had to work hard to convince citizens of the world's poorest continent that the industry has practical benefits. Harry Kaane, of Kenya's science and technology ministry, said satellite technology has made a big impact in areas such as wildlife management.

"We see a 20-year vision whereby Africa and Africans will acknowledge space as a place for human development," he told delegates. "We see Africa will be able to exploit this opportunity not only for space services but to make a contribution to knowledge and infrastructure development. We are looking forward in the next 20 years that Africa should be on a par with the rest of the world, or even better."

Local conference organiser Peter Martinez said the event was symbolic in altering perceptions of the continent. "We are in a very interesting time in the evolution of the African space arena," he said. "We are seeing the emergencies of space agencies in a number of countries around the continent. Holding a conference now is very timely for Africa because it brings world attention and focus to Africa and also allows to showcase the recent developments."

Martinez, chairman of the South African Council for Space Affairs, added: "We have to walk before we can run. I don't think human space flight is high on the agenda of African nations at this moment. Of course countries recognise the inspirational value of having astronauts, and indeed Nigeria has expressed its intention to have a Nigerian astronaut in due course, but the priority is utilising space for societal benefit."