Non-UP engineers tapped for microsatellite program

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will get academe-based engineers outside of the University of the Philippine-Diliman to join the country’s microsatellite building program.

Science Undersecretary for research and development Rowena Guevara said that for the Sustained Support for Local Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement or STAMINA4Space program that will build Diwata-3 and Diwata-4, an engineering faculty member from Mapua University and another from Adamson University will join a third one from UP Diliman to pursue research and development studies on microsatellite design and building at Kyushu Institute of Technology.

Guevara said DOST had recognized that to promote wider interest on the study and use of space technologies in the country, they have to get more academe-based engineers into the program.

“We really want the study and use of space technologies to spread… to other universities,” Guevara told The STAR.

Adamson University and Mapua University, she said, were the first to join the program because they were first to express interest.

“We had to figure out who were really interested,” Guevara said. “There will also be other universities that will enter the program.”

The STAMINA4Space program follows the successful DOST-UP Development of Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite or PHL Microsat program, which launched into space the second microsatellite designed and built by a team of Filipino engineers in Tohoku University and Hokkaido University in Japan late last month.

Under the program, Guevara said the Philippines will seek more “localization” or get most, if not all, parts and components of Diwata-3 and Diwata-4 to be fabricated or built in a space laboratory at the UP Diliman Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute in Quezon City.

The DOST also wanted local industries to be involved in the numerous tests that need to be done on a microsatellite before it is launched into orbit, with local industries such as semiconductor manufacturing to provide some of the testing services.