Philippines to Launch First Liquid-Fueled Sounding Rocket in 2027

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines will launch its first sounding rocket in Cagayan in 2027, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on Monday, July 27, paving the way for future space launch activities and a spaceport in Cagayan. “A sounding rocket launch test is slated for next year. Yes, we are going to launch a rocket into space. This we will do in partnership with a South Korean aerospace company,” Marcos said in his fifth State of the Nation Address. Marcos made the announcement after he described Cagayan as “both geographically and economically primed to serve as our gateway to space and host the country’s first spaceport.” Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) said in a press statement on Monday that the 2027 launch will be a “demonstration flight of a liquid-fueled rocket” that carries a two-kilogram payload and set to reach an altitude of at least five kilometers. “The test launch in Cagayan in 2027 will help advance the Philippines’ launch capabilities, develop Filipino expertise in rocket technologies, and prepare for future space launch activitiesm” PhilSA said. Sounding rockets usually last five to 20 minutes in space, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and are launched for scientific experiments. In 2023, the Philippines launched the TALA rocket which used both solid fuel and liquid oxidizer. Liquid rockets require a more complex design and build than solid-fueled ones. Play Video Future regional space leader? PhilSA Director General Gay Jane Perez doubled down on the Philippines’ prime position for space activities. The intention is to make the Philippines a regional space industry leader. “With the Pacific Ocean to its east and its proximity to the equator, the Philippines is well positioned for safe and secure rocket launch and recovery operations, helping reduce costs, improve launch efficiency, and create opportunities for future launch services,” Perez said. The PhilSA earlier deployed Diwata and Maya microsatellites into orbit from the International Space Station. The agency used these deployed microsatellites for environmental monitoring and post-disaster assessment. Perez said the Cagayan spaceport will be a “commercial-driven, government-enabled spaceport.” It will eventually be available for companies looking for a strategic venue for launching rockets. “That reliability is where the Philippines intends to compete, and it marks a shift in the country’s role in the regional space economy, from a user of space services to one that helps provide them,” said Perez. The first sounding rocket launch is a project of PhilSa, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, in partnership with Ascend International Gateway, Incorporated, and South Korea-based space mobility firm Perigee Aerospace Incorporated. The Memorandum of Understanding for this was signed at the Philippines–Korea Business Forum in March. – Rappler.com