The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) is targeting early 2027 for a demonstration launch of a liquid-fueled sounding rocket in Cagayan, following the completion of its engineers’ training in South Korea.
The rocket and ground support equipment will be shipped to the Philippines for final assembly and testing in Cagayan ahead of the planned launch, the agency said.
PhilSA will launch its version of the Blue Whale 0.1 (BW0.1), a liquid-propellant sounding rocket developed by South Korea’s Perigee Aerospace. Perigee test-launched the BW0.1 on Jeju Island in 2021.
Ten PhilSA engineers completed training at Perigee’s Rocket Development Complex in Okcheon, South Korea, where they assembled the rocket and conducted tests and operational preparations. A completion ceremony was held on Oct. 20.
The engineers performed system-level checks, including a dry run, a wet dress rehearsal, and a static fire test. The training followed an initial phase in 2025 that covered rocket theory and the assembly of individual components.
“Our goal goes beyond a single launch. We want this undertaking to open doors to succeeding launch activities, attract more commercial interest, and create opportunities for Filipino engineers, researchers, and enterprises to participate in the growing space economy. We want the knowledge gained here to translate into lasting capabilities and contribute to the development of our space industry,” PhilSA acting director general Gay Jane P. Perez said.
The demonstration launch follows a memorandum of understanding signed in March 2026 by PhilSA, Perigee Aerospace, the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza), the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and airport operations company Ascend International Gateway.
The training and planned launch form part of PhilSA’s Siklab: Building Industrial Space Launch Systems Project, which seeks to develop the country’s rocket and launch capabilities.
