PhilSA partners with JAXA on space applications, satellite development

The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) formalized their partnership on space projects on Friday.

PhilSA director general Dr. Joel Marciano, Jr. and JAXA president Dr. Hiroshi Yamakawa signed the memorandum of cooperation (MOC) in a virtual ceremony held in Manila and Tokyo.

The MOC aims to explore collaboration on space applications, satellite development, space environment utilization, space technology development, space policy and legislation, space science and space exploration, and space industry promotion.

"As we sign this agreement, we look back to what our country has been able to achieve in space over a relatively short period of time, and how Japan has contributed substantially to those efforts," Marciano said.

"Today, with JAXA, we look to further that cooperation as we continue to build forward, inspire, and open more opportunities for Filipinos to access and benefit from space," he added.

A team of Filipino engineers collaborated with Japanese scientists for the development of Diwata-1, the first Philippine microsatellite launched into orbit in 2016. Diwata-2, meanwhile, was launched in the Tanegashima Space Center in 2018.

Maya-2, the Philippines' second cube satellite, was designed and developed by three Filipino scholars under the 4th Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite Project of Kyushu Institute of Technology (KyuTech) in Japan. 

"I'm very pleased to say JAXA is the first foreign space agency to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation with PhilSA," Yamakawa said. "As PhilSA begins its full-scale activities, we will be happy to work with you if our experience can be of any help."

This is the second international agreement signed by PhilSA in two weeks. PhilSA previously inked a partnership with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) to develop space technology capacity.

—MGP, GMA News