PhilSA: PH eyes own spaceport as first rocket launch set for 2027
MANILA, Philippines — In the next few years, the Philippines may have its own booming spaceport, similar to Cape Canaveral in the United States, where more than a hundred rockets are sent into space each year.
Among the applauded parts of the fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) was President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s announcement that the country will launch a rocket into space next year, marking the first liquid-fueled sounding rocket launch from Philippine soil.
The test rocket launch, set at Cagayan North International Airport in Lal-lo town, Cagayan, in early 2027, will help advance the Philippines’ launch capabilities, develop Filipino expertise in rocket technologies, and prepare for future space launch activities, according to the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA).
“As global launch rates continue to accelerate, existing spaceports cannot serve this increasing demand,” PhilSA Director General Gay Jane Perez said on Tuesday.
“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,” she added.
The Philippine Space Council approved the country’s first liquid-fueled rocket launch during its ninth meeting, chaired by Marcos on June 2 in Malacañang.
During the meeting, PhilSA stated that the launch will assess the country’s capacity to locally supply rocket fuel and check existing safety procedures and the launch authorization system.
The sounding rocket test launch shall be a demonstration flight of a liquid-fueled rocket from the Philippines, carrying a locally developed payload weighing up to 2 kilograms to an altitude of at least 5 kilometers.
READ: Marcos: We are going to launch rocket into space
Sounding rockets are small research vehicles designed to launch experiments and study atmospheric conditions during short-duration flights toward the edge of space, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
They differ from orbital rockets that carry astronauts, scientific cargo, or satellites, which require a velocity of at least 7.8 km per second and an altitude of 150 km.
The rocket launch is being carried out by PhilSA, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, in partnership with local firm Ascend International Gateway Inc. and South Korea-based Perigee Aerospace Inc.
This builds on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed earlier this year at the Philippines–Korea Business Forum in March, attended by President Marcos and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung as part of the latter’s state visit to the Philippines.
The MOU also included a know-how and training program in which selected Filipino engineers undergo advanced training and hands-on activities involving Perigee’s Blue Whale class sounding rocket platform.
Beyond technology transfer, PhilSA said the program is designed to develop skilled Filipino aerospace professionals, strengthen the country’s growing pool of space talent, and develop its rocket engineering capability.
PhilSA is pursuing a Public-Private Partnership to develop a Philippine spaceport and ensure the long-term sustainability of commercial rocket launches in the Philippines.
Regional space industry leader
“The Philippines possesses strong potential to become an important participant in the future global space economy,” said Diana Kwon, country director of Perigee Manila.
“Through technology transfer, talent development, and operational collaboration, we aim to contribute to the Philippines’ emergence as a regional space industry leader,” she added.
The global space industry is on track for another record-breaking year, with orbital launches expected to surpass last year’s all-time high, according to the Space Foundation’s Global Space Economy Report.
The report said the first half of 2026 recorded 153 orbital space launches, putting the industry on pace to exceed 2025’s record of 329 launches and approach an average of one launch per day by year’s end.
It also noted that current launch facilities are struggling to meet both existing demand and the rapidly growing commercial space market, a gap the Philippines can fill in the future.
“Our vision is for the Philippines to have a spaceport that serves as a gateway for safe, responsible, and sustainable space access for the region and the world,” Perez said.
“It will be a commercially driven, government-enabled spaceport, with predictable timelines for launch licensing and authorization,” she added.
READ: A PH spaceport? PhilSA seeks partners to make it happen
Apart from location, launch companies planning to invest in the country also consider the approval process: whether it is clear, whether approvals arrive on a schedule they can plan around, and whether the country meets its international obligations.
“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,” Perez added.
Meanwhile, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said space-based technologies are a critical foundation of modern information and communications technology infrastructure.
Aguda said developing a sovereign launch capability would enable the Philippines to independently deploy communications satellites, Earth observation systems, and navigation assets.
“This advances the country’s long-term vision of building a secure, resilient, and inclusive digital ecosystem, ensuring that the Philippines remains competitive in the digital age,” he added. /mcm
