Philippines thanks Japan for support in space program

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines thanked the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Japanese government for their contribution in developing the Philippines’ aerospace program.

Ambassador Mylene Garcia-Albano met with JAXA officials led by their president, Hiroshi Yamakawa, during the launch into space last July 19 of satellites Maya-5 and Maya-6.

The satellites were the second set of CubeSats and the latest series of nano satellites built in a university and funded under the STAMINA4Space program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

This is the sixth successful launch to orbit of the satellites, which were built through a collaboration between the Philippines and Japan.

Before the launch at the Tsukuba Space Center, JAXA officials briefed Albano about their international and regional initiatives, including its bilateral space cooperation with the Philippines.

Albano looked forward to further advancing the space cooperation between the Philippines and Japan, including developing a pool of Filipino scientists and engineers with space-related capabilities.

JAXA also gave a tour of its Space Dome, where test models of various satellites, rocket engines used in firing tests and a full-scale model of the Japanese experiment module (JEM) “Kibo,” are displayed.

From JAXA’s Mission Control Room, Albano – along with officials of the Philippine embassy in Tokyo and JAXA officials – witnessed in real-time the launch into orbit of Maya-5 and Maya-6 from JEM-Kibo of the International Space Station (ISS).

DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. provided the Go/No Go Call virtually while National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut Warren Hoburg sent a congratulatory message from the ISS.

The deployment was hosted by JAXA astronaut Norishige Kanai.

The development of the CubeSats, each weighing approximately 1.15 kilograms, is part of the course requirement of the UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute’s nano satellite engineering track.