Aiming high, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) is optimistic that the country may soon have its own booming spaceport, similar to that of Cape Canaveral in the United States, where more than 100 rockets are launched annually.
According to PhilSA ad interim Director General Dr. Gay Jane Perez, the scheduled launch is the result of their tireless efforts to fulfill President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM)’s desire for the Philippines to join advanced countries in the advancement of space exploration and technology.
In his State of the Nation Address (Sona), the chief executive had announced that the country will be launching a rocket into space next year—the first liquid-fueled sounding rocket launch on Philippine soil.
In fruition, the launch has now been set at the Cagayan North International Airport in La-lo town, Cagayan, in early 2027.
“This will help advance (our) country’s launch capabilities, develop Filipino expertise in rocket technologies and prepare for future space launch activities,” Dr. Perez pointed out.
“The sounding rocket test launch shall be a demonstration flight of a liquid-fueled rocket, carrying a locally developed payload weighing up to two kilograms to an altitude of at least five kilometers,” she added to describe the project.
In space technology terms, sounding rockets are small research vehicles designed to launch experiments and study atmospheric conditions in a short-duration flight toward the edge of space.
“They are different from orbital rockets that carry astronauts or scientific cargo and satellites, which require a velocity of at least 7.8 km per second and an elevation of 150 kilometers,” PhilSA explained.
