Reaching for the stars

When President Marcos declared in his 2026 State of the Nation Address (Sona) that “we are going to launch a rocket into space,” it was understandably one of the more attention-grabbing announcements of the speech. That would be understandable, because without much time in his Sona to share added details or context, a rocket launch may sound to some people like an expensive adventure into a realm far removed from the everyday concerns of jobs, food prices, transport, and public services.

But that planned 2027 launch in Cagayan deserves to be viewed and appreciated in a much broader context. It is not simply about putting a rocket into the sky. It is about building the capabilities, institutions, and industries that will allow the Philippines to participate in an increasingly space-dependent world.

The Philippines established the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) in 2019, joining dozens of countries that now maintain national space agencies. The country remains at an early stage of space development, but it does not need to aspire to the kind of capabilities possessed by the United States, China, or Russia. What matters is developing the capacity to use space technologies effectively for distinctly Philippine needs.

Article continues after this advertisement

Space is already part of everyday life, even when people do not realize it. Satellites support communications, navigation, weather forecasting, disaster monitoring, agriculture, environmental management, and many other activities. Satellite imagery can help monitor deforestation, coastal erosion, sea-level changes, ocean conditions, flooding, and other environmental developments. PhilSA’s work in providing access to satellite data and training government personnel in applications such as flood mapping and drought assessment illustrates how space technology can directly contribute to protecting communities and improving government decisions.

Satellite imagery and vessel-tracking information also improves maritime domain awareness, giving agencies a wider picture of what is happening across Philippine waters. This can strengthen disaster response, search-and-rescue operations, maritime security, and navigation. Space technology cannot replace competent regulation or responsible operators, but it can give government agencies information that would otherwise be difficult, expensive, or impossible to obtain across such a large maritime territory.

This is why the proposed rocket launch matters. According to PhilSA, the planned 2027 demonstration in Cagayan will involve a liquid-fueled sounding rocket carrying a locally developed payload of up to 2 kilograms to an altitude of at least 5 kilometers. This project being undertaken with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, Ascend International Gateway, and South Korean aerospace company Perigee Aerospace intends to advance local launch capabilities, develop Filipino expertise, and prepare the country for future space-launch activities.

The significance therefore extends beyond the launch itself. Developing a spaceport and launch capability can create demand for engineers, scientists, technicians, software developers, manufacturers, and other highly skilled workers. It can encourage universities to strengthen STEM programs, stimulate research and development, and create opportunities for Filipino companies to enter emerging space-related supply chains.

Article continues after this advertisement

There is also a potential economic opportunity. The global space economy is expanding rapidly, with commercial launch activity increasing and existing spaceports facing growing demand. The Philippines’ geographic position, including its proximity to the equator and access to the Pacific Ocean, gives it potential advantages for future launch and recovery operations.

Cagayan could consequently become more than the site of a rocket launch. It could become the nucleus of a new technology ecosystem, attracting investment, specialized services, research activities, and skilled employment via a public-private partnership approach in which government provides the institutional and regulatory foundation, while private enterprise contributes investment, technology, and commercial expertise.

None of this means that space should take priority over urgent problems on the ground. Rather, a serious space program should be understood as another instrument for addressing those problems. The real measure of success will not be how spectacularly a rocket rises into the sky, but how effectively space capabilities eventually translate into safer communities, better government decisions, stronger scientific and technological capacity, new industries and, crucially, better opportunities that Filipinos can pursue in their home country and not just overseas.

Article continues after this advertisement

The 2027 launch should therefore be seen not as an extravagant detour from national development, but as an investment in the country’s ability to compete in the technological economy of the future. For the Philippines, reaching for the stars is ultimately not about leaving earth behind. It is about gaining a better vantage point from which to better understand, protect, and develop the country we live in.

—————-

Moira G. Gallaga served three Philippine presidents as presidential protocol officer and was posted at the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles and the Philippine Embassy in Washington.