You should see a charter for the space agency by the end of March 2018.

Like many nations, Australia probably won't have advanced launching pads and other facilities that you see in the likes of the US, Russia or China. If all goes well, though, this could foster space technology development and give future astronauts a flag to rally around. Australia-born astronauts like the since-retired Andy Thomas (above) became naturalized US citizens before going into orbit. Cash adds that the agency will be a "front door" for international space cooperation, so it could help Australia become a more visible presence in spaceflight than it is today.