Stuart McAndrew is making history from a backyard shed in suburban Perth.

The IT worker is building a satellite capable of being launched into space and taking pictures of Earth.

Australia is the only OECD nation without a dedicated space agency, and Mr McAndrew is one of a growing number of Australians turning to homemade space exploration to fill the gap.

He has designed the satellite PocketQube, a Rubik's cube-sized box with antennas, solar panels and electronics.

It is made from mostly off-the-shelf items, including aluminium from the local hardware shop, a tape measure and electronics bought over the internet.

Mr McAndrew believes it is the first of its kind in Australia. He has been working on the project for two years.

"Australia has been lagging behind in recent times," he said. "We were one of the first countries to send an amateur satellite to space and then we dropped the ball.

"The PocketQube gives us an opportunity to set that straight and it (will) hopefully inspire other people to continue on this path and build a bigger space industry for Australia."

Radical change described as 'Space 2.0'

Commercial satellites weigh hundreds or even thousands of kilograms and cost millions of dollars to launch.

In comparison, nano-satellites can be made for as little as $1,000 and weigh between one and 10 kilograms.

Mr McAndrew's creation is even smaller, weighing less than 200 grams.

But how an earth do you get it into space?

It takes a lot of planning and a very expensive taxi ride on a much larger space craft.

"The actual launch cost for a pocket cube is around $30,000," Mr McAndrew said.

"That's a bit out of my reach so I'm looking to crowd source funding to help me get my satellite into space."

About 80 nano-satellites were launched in 2013, while 132 went up in 2014.

It is estimated a further 500 will be in orbit by the end of this year.

The University of NSW is sending its own small satellites into space as part of a global project.

Andrew Dempster, head of the university's Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research, said the industry was going through a period of "radical change".

"Cubesats are creating this idea that people describe as Space 2.0," he said.

"People like Stuart or universities like us can get relatively easy access to space and it means you can develop space capability without a space agency."

Mr Dempster said Australia's lack of a space program was concerning.

"For many years we've been receiving some of our data for free — we get our our weather data from Japan; some of our remote sensing data we get from Europe and the US," he said.

"The problem is that's going to come to an end.

"Budgets are being restricted around the world; NASA's budget in particular is declining.

"So someone needs to be asking the question: what happens next?

"We're going to be left with our trousers down if we don't have a way of providing the data we've become addicted to."

Inventors hope to 'unlock access to space'

Mr Dempster is hoping the rise of nano-satellites will encourage young Australians to study science, technology, engineering and maths subjects and put space on the agenda for a new generation.

"If you want to get young kids into science and so on, the things that do it for them are dinosaurs and space," he said.

"The emergence of cubesats mean we can have our students working on something that will actually be launched into space, which attracts good quality students and very motivated people."

The expense and logistics of launching small satellites into space remains a key problem.

An Australian organisation called the Delta-V Space Hub was formed last year to solve it.

Tim Parsons is the head of Delta-V.

"There's no dedicated launcher for small spacecraft so typically we have to piggyback off larger space launchers," he said.

"That means you have to deliver your spacecraft up to a year before the launch and hope it doesn't go brown on the pad.

"Those are the biggest limitations right now: the frequency of launch opportunities and how much time you need to get everything prepared."

Delta-V is working with the NSW Government, universities and start-up companies to help people develop ideas and get their inventions into space.

"Our first step is really just to fly an aircraft that other people can put (their satellites) onto, so essentially a rideshare model," he said.

"By doing that first model we will essentially unlock access to space."

Call to lower cost for launch certificate

For Mr McAndrew, the backyard inventor, there are still a few barriers to overcome.

He must first test his satellite before obtaining a launch certificate from the Australian Government, which costs $10,000.

The fee is reduced to just $100 for educational and scientific institutions.

Mr McAndrew wants the Commonwealth to ease those financial requirements in recognition of the industry's potential.

He is still hopeful of securing a place for his satellite onboard an Italian spacecraft set to launch late next year.

"Space has always been seen as this pinnacle of engineering and it's not necessarily the case," he said.

"I can't wait for the day when I see the rocket launch into space with my satellite on board."

The Federal Government's Space Coordination Office has been contacted for comment.