Meet Louie Rabara, the Filipino data controller part of NASA's Artemis II operations team

A Filipino professional is part of NASA’s Artemis II mission, contributing to real-time space operations as part of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) team.

Louie Rabara, a data controller at NASA JPL, told GMA News that being part of the mission feels deeply significant for him.

“I'm very happy na naging part ako. Parang ano ‘to eh, historic,” he said.

Rabara explained that during launch operations, teams are stationed at NASA’s mission control in Houston, where spacecraft systems are closely monitored as they leave Earth.

Once Orion and the spacecraft pass Earth’s orbit, his team takes over continuous monitoring through incoming space data.

“Kami na po ‘yung nakakapag-track sa kanila through sa mga data… kami na po ‘yung makaka-receive non,” he said, stressing the responsibility of receiving and analyzing live signals from space.

He emphasized the importance of constant vigilance in their work, noting that systems must be closely monitored at all times.

“Kailangan monitor na monitor,” he said, adding that any data loss in their stage would be irreversible.

“Sabihin natin nawala ‘yung data, hindi na natin mare-recover ‘yun. Naiwan na sa space.”

Rabara shared that his journey to NASA was not planned and did not follow a traditional aerospace background. He studied computer engineering and did not initially expect to work in space operations.

“Wala naman akong idea before na kaya ko makapasok sa ganitong type of job… zero,” he said, describing how unexpected his career path was.

His opportunity came after working in the U.S. and connecting with NASA contractors through earlier roles, eventually leading him to JPL and mission operations.

Rabara encouraged others not to limit their ambitions, saying opportunities can come even from unexpected paths.

“Huwag lang kayong matakot mangarap,” he said, adding that he personally relied on faith and persistence throughout his journey.

“If may opportunity, i-grab niyo lang nang i-grab,” he said.

The Artemis II mission was launched on April 1 and set a new record for the farthest distance that humans have ever traveled from Earth (252,756 miles or 406,771 kilometers).

After nearly 10 days in space, the capsule and its four-member crew, Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, streaked through Earth's atmosphere and safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.

The Artemis II flight, traveling a total of 694,392 miles (1,117,515 km) in two Earth orbits and a climactic lunar flyby some 4,000 miles from its surface, was the debut crewed test flight in a series of Artemis missions that aim to return astronauts to the lunar surface starting in 2028. —Carby Rose Basina/JCB, GMA News