Perigee Aerospace, a South Korea-based comprehensive space service company, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) as part of its initiative to advance into the space industry market in Southeast Asia.
This MOU gives Perigee access and support to venture deeper into the possibility of launching their rockets in the Philippines. This initiative will further pave the way for Perigee to look into the development of a spaceport in the country that is capable of launching small rockets into low orbit. The geographic location of the Philippines is ideal for such a facility.
Perigee chief executive officer Dong-yoon Shin announced they signed the MOU with PhilSA — represented by Director General Dr. Joel Marciano — in October.
Perigee is one of the pioneers in the commercial space market in South Korea. The group’s mission is to develop the world’s smallest, most affordable satellite launch vehicles.
Under the agreement, Perigee is going to provide frequent and reliable access to space for both civil and commercial markets with its internally developed two-stage space launch vehicle known as the Blue Whale. The Blue Whale provides service to transport smaller satellites to low-earth orbit (LEO) similar to the ones deployed for the Starlink network.
Aside from its launch activities, Perigee is also capable of tracking and collecting rocket debris that will find itself in the Philippine territories, land, or sea. This is Perigee’s commitment to creating earth friendly-operations while continuing its quest to launch more rockets into space.
Perigee’s initiatives in the Philippines are in support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s speech at the 77th United Nations General Assembly.
“The Philippines is preparing for the future by laying the governance framework that will allow us to harness the power of renewable energy, develop the capacity to utilize the life sciences such as medicine and virology, pursue digital solutions towards a more modern economy, and expand our presence in outer space,” the President told the UN.
PhilSA is a central government agency directly under the Office of the President that was created under the Philippine Space Act of 2018. Director General Marciano, the pioneer of the Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite program that has launched Filipino-made microsatellites and nanosatellites that are still in orbit today, heads the agency.
The Philippines is primed for the promotion of the satellite business as well. The entry of Space X’s low-orbit satellite: Starlink, in the country earlier this year is a good example of how space technology can be a catalyst for growth in the region.
According to Perigee’s Country Representative, Diana Kwon, the launch services of Perigee Aerospace will further enhance the Philippines’ role in the global space industry with its launch project as well as its projectile recovery projects.
“With the partnership of the Philippine government and support of the Philippine Space Agency — the latter as instituted in this MOU, we expect to be able to provide excellent launch services for satellite manufacturers in the Asian market and accelerate the growth of scientific research with more partners expected to join the space industry,” said Ms. Kwon.