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First Filipino-made satellite all set for launch

MANILA: The Philippines is all set to launch its first Filipino-made satellite in space in April this year, according to a media report.

Young Filipino scientists and officials of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), led by Undersecretary for Scientific and Technological Services Rowena Cristina Guevara, are set to turn over on Wednesday the Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Micro-satellite (Phil-Microsat) to their counterparts at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tsukuba City, reported Inquirer.

Phil-Microsat, nicknamed “Diwata,” is the “first Filipino-made” and co-developed micro-satellite, which will provide real-time images that will help improve government’s response to natural calamities and the monitoring of the country’s agricultural, fisheries and forest resources, according to Carlos Primo David, executive director of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), the report said.

While the Philippines had in the past two communication satellites in orbit—Agila-1 and Agila-2—these were both privately owned and bought abroad, it added.

Interestingly, this development in the Philippines’ space history comes almost 47 years since the country first won the Miss Universe crown and man made its giant leap in space exploration with the landing of the Apollo II mission in the moon. More than four decades later, the Philippines has clinched for the third time the Miss Universe crown and is now set to actively join space exploration, said the news portal.

“It seems that it is written in the stars that we’ll win Miss Universe and launch our very own equipment in space [at almost the same time],” David reportedly told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Following the turnover, Japanese experts will then conduct final tests on the micro-satellite’s space-worthiness before sending it over to the US’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration, David has explained.  NASA would then hand the device over to SpaceX, which would launch sometime in April a rocket carrying the micro-satellite to the International Space Station (ISS), David was quoted as saying in the report.

The PCIEERD chief reportedly said that upon the entry of the 50-kilo “balikbayan-box-sized” micro-satellite into the ISS, an astronaut would conduct a final check on the device before releasing it into orbit for at least 18 months.

Diwata would be the first of two micro-satellites to be launched into space until next year. It is part of a three-year P840.82-million program, which would also see the construction of a ground receiving station in Subic, Zambales, called the Philippine Earth Data Resources Observation (PEDRO), said the news portal.

Reportedly, PEDRO is tasked to receive and store data sent by Diwata, which is expected to take a daily average of 3,600 high-resolution images using its four cameras.

Joel Marciano Jr., Phil-Microsat program head, had earlier said that the Diwata has been equipped with a high-precision telescope that could “determine the extent of damage from disasters,” like an onslaught of a storm, as well as “monitor cultural and natural heritage sites,” like the Mayon Volcano in Albay province, reported Inquirer.

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