Seeking to position the Philippines as a key player in the global space economy, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) is pushing for the development of a national spaceport through public-private partnerships (PPPs).

In a recent submission to the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center, PhilSA detailed its plan to identify and develop launch and landing sites in the country.

The agency said the Philippines’ location near the equator, its proximity to major regional space economies, and the rise of domestic technical capabilities as major advantages.

“Spaceports are not just for launching rockets—they are gateways to new industries,” PhilSA Director General Dr. Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr. said in a statement.

“With the right public-private model, the Philippines can be an active part of this global value chain, not just a passive consumer of space services.”

The spaceport project, according to PhilSA, complements its other entries in the PPP pipeline, including a planned constellation of Earth observation satellites and a telecommunications satellite.

Marciano stressed that policy and investment reforms are creating new opportunities for large-scale infrastructure in advanced technology sectors.

“These reforms provide a solid backbone for complex, capital-intensive infrastructure such as advanced manufacturing and spaceports,” he said.

“We are not building from scratch—we’re building investor confidence.”

The initiative is supported by recent legislation like the Capital Market Efficiency Promotion Act and the Tatak Pinoy Act, which are designed to attract high-value, innovation-driven projects to the Philippines.

Dr. Gay Jane Perez, the deputy director general of PhilSA, said the agency has also been in talks with international partners, especially the United States, on potential spaceport collaboration.

“During the visit of DoD Secretary Hegseth in March 2025, PhilSA DG Marciano brought up how the alliance between the Philippines and the US can be expanded beyond land, sea, and air and into space, such as through spaceport development and launch sites in the Philippines—a strategic gateway to space in the region that leverages the country’s geography and other advantages,” she said.

PhilSA said it hopes to bring together foreign expertise and local ingenuity to develop spaceport infrastructure that can meet growing demand for responsive and sustainable launch services.

“This isn’t just about space; it’s about transforming the Philippine innovation ecosystem,” Dr. Perez said.

“We are talking about new jobs, new manufacturing lines, new logistics corridors—and potentially becoming a regional hub for launch services.”

She said that in President Marcos’ recent working visit to Osaka, one of the top priorities raised was the attraction of foreign expertise and companies to the Philippines.

“Developing spaceports, satellites, and data utilization would drive business-to-business opportunities—advancing our domestic space industry,” Perez added.

The spaceport project is a major part of PhilSA’s broader roadmap toward space industrialization.

The agency said it is currently holding discussions with private developers, aerospace firms, and government bodies to identify viable sites and co-investment models.

PhilSA said interest in commercial launches, small satellites, and space tourism is rising worldwide, and more than a dozen countries already operate commercial spaceports.

“PhilSA’s ongoing satellite development and downstream data services prepare the local market and workforce capabilities to support ‘Space Economic Industrial Zones’, which we intend to establish across the country to host these activities and infrastructure such as space launch systems,” said Marciano.

The PPP submission is now under evaluation as the country moves closer to turning its spaceport ambitions into reality.