The Philippines’ second microsatellite, Diwata-2, marked its third year in space on Thursday, Oct. 29.
The 57-kilogram satellite was launched into space on Oct. 29, 2018 hitching a ride via H-IIA F4 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 12:08 p.m. (Manila time), and started orbiting in space at 12:51 p.m.
The satellite was developed under the Development of Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite (PHL-Microsat) Program, which was succeeded by the Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program.
“Diwata-2 has since captured 72,308 images all over the world, and has covered 85.13 percent of the Philippine’s land area,” the STAMINA4Space said. “As the satellite enters the fourth year of its space journey, Diwata-2 will continue its Earth Observation tasks.”
The earth observation satellite was built by Filipino engineers and researchers from the University of the Philippines Diliman and the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), in cooperation with Tohoku University and Hokkaido University in Japan.
It's payloads composed of high precision telescope, optical cameras for scientific earth observation, deployable solar array panels, an amateur radio unit, among other equipment.
The satellites missions were to provide satellite data to agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and other sectors, similar to its predecessor, Diwata-1.
Moreover, it is equipped to assess damages caused by natural disasters by taking pre-and post-disaster images in the area, and provide means of communication for emergency responders through amateur radio.
According to the STAMINA4Space, the Diwata-2 is currently orbiting Earth at an altitude of 604 kilometers with speeds reaching 7.56 kilometers per second. It will remain operational for two more years.
People can track the location of the Diwata-2 in real-time through the website of the STAMINA4Space Program and by clicking the link.
The development of the Diwata-1 and 2 was funded under the DOST’s Grants-in-Aid program, with the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) as the monitoring agency.