In the Philippines’ hopes to start its own space program, a team of all-Filipino engineers designed, developed and assembled a 50-kg microsatellite by the name of Diwata-1.
It is a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite set to fly 400 km above the earth. It has great potential in improving weather detection and forecasts, disaster risk management, detecting agricultural growth patterns, and the monitoring of forest cover, mining, protection of cultural and historical sites, and the territorial border of the Philippines.
To prepare for its launch into space in April, the microsatellite was handed over to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), who will then shift the device to the United States some time in March for a launch and space deployment in April. All of these wouldn’t be possible with the Philippine Microsatellite Development Program, which is under Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research (PCIEERD). Nine Filipino engineers, eight men and a lady whose ages range from 22 to 26, racked their brains out to this project. The whole project was funded by PCIEERD with an amount of P1.2 billion from its research to its completion, for two 50-kg satellites. The other 50-kg satellite Diwata-2, Diwata-1’s sister, is set to be completed by 2017.
