PhilSA unveils ‘Tala Hybrid Rocket’

WALTER MORSIQUILLO Philippine Air Force to finish and upgrade the project.

In a post by the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) last May 15, the Philippines is proud to start test launches for its first rocket named the Tala Hybrid Rocket.

The rocket was 3D printed using composite materials in 2018 by local scientists and their professors, and scheduled for a launch in 2020, but was postponed after the Covid-19 pandemic. As restrictions became milder, PhilSA started to collaborate with the

Its hybrid classification is due to it using both solid and liquid fuels.

“Separating the substances makes shipping, handling, and storage much safer. This technology also lowers the cost of manufacturing rockets,” said PhilSA.

Along with the dual fuel system, the technologies consist of flight sensors, a Global Positioning System (GPS), dual parachutes, and a payload system for its mission; to drop a can satellite (CanSat), or simulated satellites the size of soda cans developed and used in educational settings to remotely gather environmental data through built-in sensors.

This marks a huge leap from Maya-1 and Maya-2, the first Filipino satellites, and opens the door for technological advancements in Philippine rocket science.