An early history of the Philippine space development program

In 2018, the Congress of the Philippines is expected to pass the Philippine Space Development Act, leading to the adoption of the first national space policy in the country and the establishment of the Philippine Space Agency (or PhilSA). This historic event is the final outcome of a long process involving various stakeholders in the Philippines from government, academia and industry. This article provides the first comprehensive history of this process from its inception in the late 20th century until now, with a specific focus on its acceleration since 2013. It also investigates the future expectations of the national space development program, in particular regarding the development of a local space industry. Apart from solely describing the history of the Philippines, this paper presents more generally the case of a developing country willing to gain a foothold in space. In comparison with existing literature on space development programs focusing exclusively on rich western countries or powerful emerging nations, this paper provides other developing countries with highly valuable information by describing such a transparent, balanced and promising initiative as the Philippine space development program. •The Philippine Space Policy is balanced and perfectly fits the needs of the country.•The process of developing the Philippine space policy can inspire other countries.•Private sector's involvement is crucial for the success of the future space program.•The Filipino space policy's parliamentary approval is expected for late 2018.•Initiating a space program is feasible and recommended for developing countries.