August 10, 2018
BIRDS-2 CubeSats released to space from International Space Station (ISS)
Maya-1 (Philippines), BHUTAN-1 (Bhutan), and UiTMSAT-1 (Malaysia) deployed to space via the International Space Station (ISS)’ Japanese Kibo Module.
Maya-1 1st pass over Philippines
1st pass over the country tracked and 1st beacon signal from orbit received via UP Amateur Radio Satellite Station (ARSS) Ground Station
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October 29, 2018
Diwata-2 launched to space
Diwata-2 successfully launched to space from the Tanegashima Space Center, Japan via H-IIA F40 rocket at 12:08 GMT+08
First contact
Initial contact with the PEDRO Center successfully made at 13:52 GMT+08
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November 15, 2018
Diwata-2 captures first images of the Philippines
Diwata-2 has successfully captured its first set of images, which includes a portion of the Earth and some parts of the Philippines’ Aurora and Kalinga provinces.
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January 18, 2019
STeP-UP scholars Batch 1 kickoff
The 1st batch of STeP-UP scholars in MS/MEng in Electrical Engineering under the nanosatellite engineering track formally kickoff their scholarship.
STeP-UP scholars (from left to right): Christy Raterta, Marielle Magbanua-Gregorio, Gladys Bajaro, Lorilyn Daquioag, Renzo Wee, Bryan Custodio, Judiel Reyes, and Derick Canceran with DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña (center).
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February 14, 2019
The PHL-Microsat Program fully transitions to the STAMINA4Space Program
The Development of Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Microsatellite (PHL-Microsat) Program is succeeded by the Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program, and was referred to as such from this day forward.
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April 11, 2019
AMSAT designates Diwata-2 as Philippines-OSCAR 101 (PO-101)
Diwata-2’s Amateur Radio Unit (ARU) was designated as Philippines-OSCAR 101 (PO-101) upon the program’s request.
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April 26, 2019
PO-101 announced ready for service
Diwata-2’s Amateur Radio Unit (ARU), PO-101, can now accessible to licensed amateur radio users worldwide
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August 31, 2019
UP, DOST inaugurate the University Laboratory for Small Satellites and Space Engineering Systems (ULyS³ES)
ULyS³ES (pronounced, yuˈlɪs iz or yoo-lis-eez) is intended to serve as an academic hub for interdisciplinary R&D and instruction innovations in space technology in the Philippines.
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November 8, 2019
DOST-ASTI inaugurates Davao Ground Receiving Station (D-GRS)
Three years after the establishment of the first Ground Receiving Station (GRS) in Metro Manila, the Philippine Earth Data Resource and Observation (PEDRO) Center finally unveiled the Davao GRS last November 8, 2019.
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March 20, 2020
Diwata-1 altitude decreases, signals coming end of mission
While it has outlived its initially projected lifespan of 18 months, a gradual decrease in altitude was observed.
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April 6, 2020
Diwata-1 re-enters Earth, ends mission
After nearly four years of its journey in space, Diwata-1 retires as it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere.
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21 February 2021
Launch to the International Space Station
The BIRDS 4 Satellite Project – KyuTech CubeSats launch to the International Space Station on February 21, 2021 (Sunday) at 1:36 a.m. PHT (February 20/Saturday at 17:36 in UTC) to watch Maya-2 (Philippines), Tsuru (Japan), and GuaraniSat-1 (Paraguay) liftoff from Earth aboard the S.S. Katherine Johnson Cygnus spacecraft as part of the Northrop Grumman CRS-15 mission.
Photo Courtesy of NASA
April 28, 2021
Maya-3 and Maya-4 Successfully turned-over to Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
14 March 2021
Release to Space from the International Space Station
Maya-2, a cube satellite (CubeSat) made by Filipino engineers studying in Japan, was released to space from the International Space Station (ISS) on March 14, 2021 at around 7:20 p.m. PHT.
Photo from the JAXA Live Stream
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July 5, 2022
Maya-2 re-enters atmosphere, ends mission
After 16 months in space, the country’s second cube satellite (CubeSat) re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, ending its mission on July 5, 2022.
October 6, 2021
Maya-3 and Maya-4 cube satellites released to space from ISS, to begin operations soon
As of October 7, 2021, Maya-3 and Maya-4 beacons were successfully received and decoded during the 9:00 AM PST pass remotely through the Philippine Universities Ground Archiving and Data Reception (PUGAD) station in UP Diliman.
Photo captured via JAXA Live stream
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August 4, 2022
Maya-3 re-enters atmosphere, ends mission
After10 months in space, the Maya-3 cube satellite (CubeSat) re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, ending its mission on August 4, 2022.
19 July 2023
PH-built cube satellites, Maya-5 and Maya-6, deployed to space
The Philippines’ second batch of locally developed cube satellites (CubeSats) Maya-5 and Maya-6 were successfully released to space from the International Space Station (ISS) on 19 July 2023 at 3:00 p.m. PST as a part of the “Kibo” or Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-26 (J-SSOD-26) CubeSat deployment mission.
6 June 2023
PH-built cube satellites, Maya-5 and Maya-6, deployed to space
The Philippines’ next batch of locally developed cube satellites (CubeSats) Maya-5 and Maya-6 were successfully launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on 05 June 2023 at around 11:47 PM PST. Maya-5 and Maya-6 are aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of SpaceX’s 28th commercial resupply mission. The CubeSats, weighing approximately 1.15 kilograms each, will move along an orbit similar to the space station’s at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers once they are released to space.