Charles Bolden, the recently retired head of NASA, says he was surprised it took Australia this long to announce a national space agency.

Key points: Government agencies become "risk-takers" for private sector, Mr Bolden says

Government agencies become "risk-takers" for private sector, Mr Bolden says Australia has long played a role next to NASA in space exploration

Australia has long played a role next to NASA in space exploration Private industry, focused on profit, more cautious about risks

It was during Mr Bolden's first trip to Australia visiting the Deep Space Network tracking station in Canberra that he realised Australia did not have one.

"My question at the time was why not?" he said.

Mr Bolden said he believed governments had a critical role to play in "blazing the trail" and laying out the path for private industry and entrepreneurs to follow.

While attending the Adelaide conference this week Mr Bolden received the International Astronautical Federation's Award for distinguished service.

As an astronaut with 680 hours in space, Mr Bolden was appointed by former president Barack Obama to lead NASA in 2009.

He led the agency in developing the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft — designed to take humans to Mars.

Mr Bolden said Australia had long played a role alongside NASA and international space agencies in "pushing humans farther and farther out into our solar system".

Events such as Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon and the Curiosity Rovers' landing on Mars were all covered by the Deep Space Network tracking station in Australia.

Mr Bolden says governments have a critical role to play in laying out the path for private industry to follow. ( Supplied: NASA/JPL-Caltech )

So, if Australia has been playing an important role in space exploration for all these years, why is there a need to establish a national space agency?

Mr Bolden said an agency would pull together industry, academia and entrepreneurs under the one umbrella of government oversight.

"You'll be able to push and incentivise the private industry to take steps that they themselves may not otherwise take," he said.

"Because they're more focused on profit and very cautious about investments that they make.

"That's where the Australian Government will be able to step forward and actually become the risk-taker — what we call in the United States the 'anchor tenant' for the activities of the private sector."

NASA, ESA vow to work with Australian space agency

The heads of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have warmly welcomed the announcement of an Australian space agency.

ESA director general Jan Woener even suggested Australia could go a step further and join the ESA as a cooperative member.

In the 1960s Australia was an associate member of the European Launcher Development Organisation.

"If we come to very close cooperation we are ready also to welcome Australia as a cooperative state," he said.

Robert Lightfoot said NASA has had a great partnership with Australia for a long time. ( ABC News: Mike Coggan )

Acting NASA administrator Robert Lightfoot said his agency has had a great partnership with Australia for a long time and the announcement is an excellent opportunity to increase the collaboration and cooperation.

"I look forward to seeing what niche areas that Australia decides they want to focus on and I think that'll be their challenge," he said.

Humans on Mars by 2030?

NASA's target is to put humans in the Martian environment by 2030. ( Supplied: NASA )

NASA's target, laid out by Mr Obama, was to put humans in the Martian environment by 2030.

"I think most of us believe that's a date we can make," Mr Bolden said.

"Like any challenging program, or anything that's ambitious, you have ups and downs."

Mr Bolden said they were going well in the development of the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle, the Shuttle Landing Facility and Orion crew module, which would be responsible for getting humans to deep space.

"We're looking forward to the first flight of the two, of the launch vehicle and the capsule itself together, hopefully as early as late 2018 or 2019," he said.

He also said NASA was working with its international partners on a Deep Space Gateway, which would orbit vehicles in lunar orbit.

The outpost would be used to test technologies in a deep space environment and also to be used as a staging area for missions to Mars.

During Mr Bolden's time at NASA the shuttle program was phased out in order to offer more opportunities to the commercial space industry.

"To provide routine transportation to and from space for cargo first, as we're doing now very successfully, and later for humans," he said.

'Not a big fan of one-way trips to anywhere'

NASA has established a number of partnerships with private companies, such as SpaceX. ( Reuters: Rashid Umar Abbasi )

But as NASA's partnership and often reliance on private companies, such as Elon Musk's SpaceX has grown, Mr Bolden said he had some concerns about the shift.

"Any time you open up an enterprise like space exploration and decide that you're going to share responsibility among government, private enterprise… entrepreneurs, there is a risk," he said.

"[The risk is] that they will find that it's economically just not a good thing to do, and they may walk away.

"But I'm convinced that most of our partners today believe in the same things that we do."

A number of privately funded space projects working independently of NASA have announced plans to be taking tourists to space, even as far as Mars.

Mr Bolden said his concern with that was a matter of concern for human life and the welfare of the environment.

"The one thing about working with an agency like NASA, the European Space Agency… is that they represent the organisation that has overall fiduciary responsibility for the safety of the populace," he said.

"And for the economic use of the public's funds. Private enterprises may not …feel those same responsibilities."

One particular subject Mr Bolden said he was not a fan of were the one-way trips to Mars, advertised and promoted by the Mars One initiative.

"I'm not in favour of that, to be quite honest, I think it's somewhat irresponsible," he said.

"One of my jobs when I was the NASA administrator was to do the best I could do to take care of the life and prosperity of every person that participated in any of our programs."

'My hope would be that President Trump step back for a while'

Mr Bolden resigned from NASA just after Donald Trump's inauguration, something he said "came by law".



When a new administration comes in it is up to them to turn down a resignation, which Mr Bolden said rarely ever happens.

He said he had some concerns about the new Trump administration, as historically any new government wants to "establish their own legacy".

"My hope would be that President Trump step back for a while, take a good hard look at where NASA is and where we're going with our international partners," he said.

"My advice to them would be the advice that I was given and that I give everybody else — fold their arms for the next year or two and take credit for everything that happens."