McGowan wants national space agency in WA

Premier Mark McGowan says WA is a good candidate for the national space agency because it has wide open spaces and already has the Square Kilometre Array.

Premier Mark McGowan believes the national space agency should be in Western Australia and says a bid has already been made.

The announcement of an Australian space agency was made at the opening of 68th International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide and followed the commonwealth's decision to conduct a review of the nation's engagement with the space industry.

"We're a very good state for these sorts of things because of our wide open spaces, our lack of interfering radio waves, and the fact we have the Square Kilometre Array here shows that the international science community thinks Western Australia is a good location," Mr McGowan told reporters in Perth on Monday.