The Philippines will launch its first liquid-fueled sounding rocket from Cagayan in 2027, marking a significant step toward establishing a spaceport and advancing the country's aerospace capabilities.President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.announced this during his SONA 2026 address, emphasizing collaboration with South Korea’s Perigee Aerospace Incorporated.

The demonstration flight will carry a two-kilogram payload to an altitude of at least five kilometers, serving as a test for future space launch activities.

Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) aims to position the Philippines as a regional leader in the space industry by leveraging Cagayan’s strategic location near the equator, which reduces launch costs and improves efficiency.The project involves partnerships with Ascend International Gateway, Inc., and South Korea-based Perigee Aerospace, with a Memorandum of Understanding signed at the Philippines–Korea Business Forum.PhilSA also highlighted its previous achievements, such as deploying microsatellites for environmental monitoring and disaster assessment.

The Cagayan spaceport will eventually be commercialized, offering launch services to companies while solidifying the Philippines’ role in the regional space economy from a user of space technologies to a provider.This initiative underscores the government’s commitment to innovation and global competitiveness in emerging aerospace sectors.