The country’s first microsatellite PHL-Microsat Diwata-1 has travelled around the earth approximately 4,083 times, as of January 13, since its deployment to outer space in April 27, 2016.
“Diwata-1 has circled the world approximately 4,083 times, taking images not just of the Philippines but also of other parts of the Earth,” Diwata-1 engineer Benjamin Magallon said in PHL-Microsat official blog site.
In September 2016, Japanese educational institution Hokkaido University hailed the captured images of High Precision Telescope (HPT) installed in Diwata-1 as world-best for a 50 kg-class microsatellite.
“The microsatellite is equipped with four imaging devices with different magnifications, including the HPT and a fish-lens camera, which are used to remotely observe a wide variety of phenomenon including weather hazards such as typhoons and torrential rain,” Hokkaido University said in a released statement.
Diwata-1 was developed by Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) in cooperation with Japan’s Hokkaido and Tohoku Universities.
(Update)