States vying to host a piece of Australia's new space agency may find themselves sharing the load as far as launch sites go, a NASA strategist says, even if it makes sense for its headquarters to be in Canberra.

Dr Christyl Johnson from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland will visit Adelaide next month for the Hybrid World Adelaide conference in innovation and space industry research.

She said the Australian Space Agency, which will be launched on July 1, should be headquartered in Canberra close to where the "policy and decision makers are".

"That's part of the reason why most of the space organisation headquarters in the US are located in Washington DC, which is where the political decisions are made and the meetings are held and so forth," Dr Johnson said.

"You don't want a person to get on a plane every time an important [political] decision needs to be made."

But when it came to launch pads, she pointed out the US had multiple sites across the country, each used depending on the goals of a particular mission.

"If you're looking for additional capacity, then you will want more options on the table and it is not a requirement to have just one range," Dr Johnson said.

"It really depends on what goals are set by the headquarters."

Dr Johnson is responsible for setting goals for NASA's Goddard research arm and initiated its missions in astrophysics, Earth sciences, planetary sciences and heliophysics, as well as overseeing technology investments.

She said Australia could play multiple roles on a global stage with NASA and other partners as it focused on returning to the Moon as well as landing a human on Mars.

A NASA specialist believes Australia would benefit from having multiple launch sites for different types of missions. ( Supplied: NASA )

Innovation for space travel filters into society

Dr Johnson said the technological innovations that made such missions possible was where investment in space exploration had large-scale benefits for industry and the country at large.

"There's so much innovation that has to happen, and in order for that to happen there are tonnes of spin-offs every time we create something for space application," she said.

"This includes things like cochlear implants or even the rumble strips on the side of roads that wake people before they go to sleep."

She said NASA had concerns during its space shuttle program about it hydroplaning when it landed, especially in bad weather.

The Australian Space Agency could contribute to technological developments for planetary missions. ( Supplied: NASA )

"We ended up having to groove the runway so we wouldn't have to worry about it hydroplaning and flipping over," Dr Johnson said.

"We ended up transferring the grooving machine to the department of transport and now, in the US, all the major highways on the side of roads have those rumble strips we created.

"That's just one example. In one year we have thousands of those innovations."

Dr Johnson last visited Australia in February to talk with start-up companies, universities and medical facilities in Adelaide.

She said she was "blown away" by the level of grassroots development in space innovation, including at Hamilton Secondary College in Adelaide where the Mike Roach Space Education Centre was launched last year.

It includes a simulated Martian landscape, a mission control room, spacesuits and "helmets with lights on it, everything".

"These kids are getting real-time, real-life exposure in high school and that's amazing," Dr Johnson said.

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But despite all the grassroots development, Dr Johnson said one thing missing at the "entrance point" to Australian space innovation was a "common unifying goal, an overarching direction that all of these individual components can work towards".

"It's really just a matter of the space agency making a commitment to get the finances rolling, set the policy and establish the global vision, so that everybody will know what direction it's going in and what role Australia wants to play.

"The rest of the sister nations are just waiting for you guys to step up and say, 'We want to be a part of it', and we are welcoming it with open arms."

Hybrid World to include Marc Fennell

The Hybrid World Adelaide conference will include a variety of speakers, including another American in Philip Alveda as well as Australian broadcaster Marc Fennell, who will present masterclasses on starting your own podcast.

Organisers have also invited artists to contribute to a 12 x 25-metre "wall of mist across four nights" as part of a curated HWA Water Screen, which will also host a live retro gaming station.

"South Australia is eager to be a part of the discussion about global space industries, so to have a Dr Christyl Johnson in Adelaide talking about the work and investment priorities of NASA is a huge coup for the state," Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister David Ridgeway said.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for local technology industry and space-related innovators to engage one of the world's peak bodies."