Students interested in space technology studies can now take up subjects in nanosatellite or cube satellite engineering at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.
The country’s premier state university has started sharing its knowledge and expertise after spearheading the launch of the Philippines’ first two microsatellites, Diwata-1 in 2016 and Diwata-2 in 2018.
The UP also recently unveiled its University Laboratory for Small Satellites and Space Engineering Systems (UP ULyS3ES) as the home of Filipino space scientists, engineers, and technology research.
The nanosatellite engineering track is being offered under the Master of Science and Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering by the UP Diliman College of Engineering’s Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (UPD-EEEI).
Major activities in the nanosatellite engineering track include:
- development of 1U CubeSats
- space environment testing of the CubeSats (engineering model and flight model) at the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan
- launch of the CubeSats via the International Space Station
- CubeSat operations
The satellite engineering track is being implemented through the initiative and support of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-funded research program, “Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement” (STAMINA4Space) and the “Space Science and Technology Proliferation through University Partnerships” (STeP-UP) Project.
The DOST report sent to Good News Pilipinas says that the first batch of UP’s next satellite builders started in January 2019 and have been building two (2) CubeSats that are targeted for launch in 2020. This will be followed by another batch of eight (8) scholars who will further develop two (2) more CubeSats and launch them into orbit by 2022.
The scholars receive guidance and mentoring from faculty members of the College of Engineering and College of Science in UPD, technical personnel from the STAMINA4Space program and researchers from the DOST-ASTI. Applications for the second batch of eight (8) STEP-UP scholars will open in November 2019 with classes starting on August 2020.
Interested parties and applicants may contact the STEP-UP Project Secretariat at step-up@eee.upd.edu.ph.
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