Perigee, Philippines gov’t to recycle small launch vehicle

South Korea's Perigee Aerospace Inc. announced on Tuesday that it has discussed collaboration with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) for the launch and reuse of small space launch vehicles.

According to Korean startup Perigee, a delegation led by Joel Marciano Jr., Director-General of the PhilSA visited the Perigee rocket development complex in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, for two days last week.

During the visit, they examined the development status of the small space launch vehicle Blue Whale 1 (BW1) and discussed the reuse process.

BW1, a two-stage launch vehicle undergoing testing with a launch planned off the coast of Jeju Island, is designed to drop its first stage into the vicinity of the Philippines after separation.

Perigee plans to recover this first stage with the cooperation of the PhilSA for reuse.

Perigee also plans to implement an educational program for space talent development, including the manufacturing and practical use of sounding rocket launchers, in collaboration with Jeju National University for both South Korean and Philippine students.

Additionally, discussions were held on cooperation for future test launches and commercial operations within the Philippines.

Write to Kang-Ho Jang at callme@hankyung.com