Philippines cube satellites, which were university-built satellites" by Filipino engineers, are now going to the International Space Station (ISS).
These include SpaceX, Blue Origin, as well as the giant e-commerce company Amazon. However, the Asian country is not alone on its space journey as its new Maya-3, and Maya-4 cube satellites were aboard Elon Musk's giant SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which lifted off this Aug. 29 at exactly 3:14 a.m. or 3:14 p.m. PH time.
Thanks to the giant space agency's massive efforts, SpaceX sent its spacecraft to outer space toward ISS. After that, the rocket successfully landed at the sea so that the company's staff could retrieve it.
On the other hand, Falcon 9 is expected to reach the International Space Station, together with the Philippines' cube sats, on Aug. 30. As of the moment, the estimated time of arrival is around morning.
Philippines Cube Sats To Reach ISS
According to CNN Philippines' latest report, the new Maya-3 and Maya-4 satellites are definitely important for the space experts of the Asian country since they are the first ones built by PH universities to reach the International Space Station.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying the SAOCOM 1A and ITASAT 1 satellites, as seen on October 7, 2018 near Santa Barbara, California. After launching the satellites, the Falcon 9 rocket successfully returned to land on solid ground near the launch site rather than at sea. The satellites will become part of a six-satellite constellation that will work in tandem with an Italian constellation known as COSMO-SkyMed.
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Specifically, Manila Bulletin reported that these new cube sats were developed and conceptualized by the first batch of scholars under various space projects of the Philippines.
These include the following:
- Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation, and Advancement (STAMINA4Space)
- Program: Project 3 - Space Science and Technology Proliferation through University Partnerships (STeP-UP)
In other news, NASA's Landsat-9 is expected to be launched this coming September 23. On the other hand, the Mars Curiosity rover was able to capture stunning images of the Red Planet's mountains, black sand, and horizon.
Other Details of PH Cube Sats
Maya-3 and Maya-4 satellite models were made possible thanks to the fundings provided by the DOST, which also has scholarship grants from its Science Education Institute.
On the other hand, the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) implemented the STeP-UP space program in collaboration with the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan.
Aside from them, the Philippine Space Agency also supported the development of the new cube sats of the Asian country.
For more news updates about the new Maya cube sats of the Philippines and other new satellites, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
