MANILA, Philippines - The first Filipino-built microsatellite Diwata-1 on Wednesday was brought to the International Space Station by a Cygnus spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The Diwata-1 will be placed in the KIBO Japanese Experiment Module, which will release it into space through its Japan Small Satellite deployer.
READ: Spacecraft carrying Philippines’s first microsatellite launched today
And liftoff of @OrbitalATK’s #Cygnus cargo mission to the @Space_Station! Watch: https://t.co/KX5g7zfYQe https://t.co/RS1zb84wvQ
— NASA (@NASA) March 23, 2016
#ICYMI: @ULAlaunch's #AtlasV rocket launched @OrbitalATK's #Cygnus spacecraft to @Space_Station w/ 7500lbs of cargo. https://t.co/uIOZelt7c1
— NASA (@NASA) March 23, 2016
The microsatellite is expected to traverse a low-earth orbit, between 400 to 420 kilometers from the ground, and take images of the Philippines.
The first Filipino microsatellite was developed under the PHL-Microsat Program initiated by the Philippine government in 2014 through the Department of Science and Technology and implemented by several departments of the University of the Philippines Diliman.
PHOTO: Atlas V, carrying the first Filipino-assembled microsatellite DIWATA, lifts off into space from Florida, USA. pic.twitter.com/bU9si9s4dH
— Official Gazette PH (@govph) March 23, 2016
The three-year program seeks to enhance the country's capacity in space technology by developing microsatellite systems.
The Diwata-1 was assembled last year by nine Filipino engineers based in Tohoku University and Hokkaido University in Japan.
The microsatellite features a high-precision telescope for assessment of damage during disasters, a spaceborne multispectral imager for monitoring bodies of water and vegetation and a wide-field camera for observing weather patterns.
It will be in orbit for approximately 20 months and will pass over the Philippines twice daily. –Patricia Lourdes Viray