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Space mobility company Perige Aerospace (Perige) announced on the 6th that it has signed a 'Sounding Rocket Cooperation Program Phase 2' contract with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA). The goal is to conduct the first test sounding rocket launch from Philippine territory.
Founded in 2018, Perige provides launch vehicles, propulsion systems, and engineering services based on liquid methane engines. It is developing a small launch vehicle named 'Blue Whale 1' capable of placing payloads up to 200 kg into a 500 km altitude sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).
Sounding rockets are suborbital vehicles that ascend to the upper atmosphere without entering orbit and return, used for scientific experiments and technology verification. They require less development time and cost than orbital launch vehicles, serving as an entry point for early-stage space-faring nations.
This contract follows Phase 1 of the program, which ran for three weeks from October to November last year. In Phase 1, Philippine engineers learned rocket theory and performed direct assembly using Perige's sounding rocket 'Blue Whale 0.1 (BW0.1)'.
Phase 2 will be jointly operated in Korea and locally in the Philippines. Ten selected Philippine Space Agency engineers will first visit Korea to practice BW0.1 assembly, system integration, testing, and operational procedures at Perige facilities. Subsequently, test launches will be conducted on-site in the Philippines.
The BW0.1 used for training is Korea's first privately developed liquid rocket launch vehicle. It completed three test launches from Jeju Island between 2021 and 2022, employing a pressurized engine using liquid oxygen (LOX) and ethanol as propellants.
The Philippines is currently pursuing plans to establish a commercial space center in Lallo, Cagayan Province. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. designated Cagayan as the gateway to the Philippines' space program during his state of the nation address on the 27th of last month and mentioned plans for next year's sounding rocket launch tests.
Perige explained that through this program, it has demonstrated its overseas operational capabilities for its launch systems and secured experience in building and operating local infrastructure. The company aims to solidify its position within the Asian market by leveraging the Philippines as a base amid growing demand for satellite communications.
A Perige representative stated, "This Phase 2 program marks that our overseas expansion using our own launch vehicle platform has officially entered full swing," adding, "Based on experience from local launch campaigns in the Philippines and partnerships, we will accelerate our entry into the Southeast Asian and global space markets."
The representative further added, "As BW0.1 is a suitable platform for experiencing and training in liquid propulsion systems, we will proceed with selling sounding rockets to domestic and international institutional investors."
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