In its two-year journey, Diwata-2 allowed us to take a peek through a typhoon, provided clues on the extent of Taal volcano’s ashfall, and even took us on a quick sight-seeing trip to the moon.

Diwata-2 has already acquired 19,439 images of the Philippines, spanning 82.01% of the country. Globally, Diwata-2 has captured 32,256 images. These images are part of the data being collected to conduct scientific measurements and experiments for environmental assessment and monitoring.

“Diwata-2 has already covered twice as much half the time than its predecessor, Diwata-1. This is mainly due to its sun-synchronous orbit, allowing more frequent revisits and improvements made in pointing accuracy and mission operations from the ground,” said Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program Leader Dr. Gay Jane Perez.

Diwata-2 is a 50-kilogram Earth observation satellite developed by a team of scientists and engineers from the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) and the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), in cooperation with Tohoku University and Hokkaido University in Japan. Diwata-2 is the third Filipino-made satellite that has been sent to space, following the 50-kg microsatellite Diwata-1 (deployed to space April 27, 2016), and the 1-kg nanosatellite Maya-1 (deployed to space on June 29, 2018). Diwata-2 was launched into space via an H-IIA F40 rocket on October 29, 2018.

To mark this important milestone, the STAMINA4Space Program has organized a virtual tour highlighting Diwata-2’s features and latest developments. Nearly 50 space enthusiasts have joined the sessions while over 200 have expressed their interest in the event.

The pandemic did not stop the researchers from conducting experiments to further enhance the capabilities of Diwata-2. In fact, researchers working on Diwata-2 were able to optimize image download from the satellite to the Ground Receiving Stations, marking the start of a faster turnover rate of images from acquisition to processing. They were also able to improve the target pointing capabilities of the microsatellite after a successful experiment using the moon as a reference point. 

Like how Diwata-2 built upon the learnings from Diwata-1, Diwata-2 is paving the way for the development of a more robust microsatellite, a testament to the continuous advancement of space research and development in the country. 

“Moving forward, we also see Diwata to continuously serve as a seedbed to nurture growth in space science and engineering in our country through research and capacity building in satellite technologies and relevant space systems for the benefit of the society,” said Perez.

Diwata-2 has proven that Filipinos are capable not only of owning and operating satellites, but owning and developing them.

“Prior efforts in space science technology applications in the country such as the development, launch and operation of Diwata-2 help produce strategic know-how, vital infrastructure and skilled manpower,” said the Philippine Space Agency Director General Dr. Joel Joseph S. Marciano, Jr.  

“The Philippine Space Agency welcomes the challenge and opportunity to institutionalize and operationalize the various space science technology applications initiatives towards sustained productivity and socioeconomic benefit for the country,” Marciano added.

Diwata-2 flies at an altitude of 605 km above sea level at the speed of 7.5 km per second in a sun-synchronous orbit. Diwata-2 is expected to serve the country for another three years. 

Read more about Diwata-2 here.

The post Diwata-2 microsatellite celebrates 2nd anniversary in space appeared first on STAMINA4Space.

As a scientific Earth Observation satellite, Diwata-2’s primary task is to capture images of Earth but it can also be used to target other celestial bodies in our solar system. Recently, Diwata-2 was tasked to take pictures of the Moon as part of an experiment carried out by researchers from the STAMINA4Space Program and Tohoku University in Japan. The experiment was undertaken to test Diwata-2’s target pointing capability, calibrate its sensors, and monitor its health and status. Accurate target pointing is crucial for effectively capturing images of areas identified during mission planning, and the Moon is a good point of reference for target calibration.

Satellite calibration using the Moon

This mission was part of the experiments of Mr. Edgar Paolo Violan, a Department of Science and Technology (DOST) scholar currently pursuing a degree in Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering at the Space Robotics Laboratory of Tohoku University in Japan. Mr. Violan’s research involves using the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) of Diwata-2 to target lunar acquisitions that lead to more precise target pointing maneuvers in capturing observation images. In-flight calibration of the ADCS is implemented as needed to correct any small, but still apparent, misalignments within the satellite’s components.

“From its initial skewed results, the satellite’s attitude sensors settings were adjusted accordingly until the Moon was finally captured and centered in the frame of view of the optical payload used (in this case, the High Precision Telescope or HPT). From the results of the lunar acquisition, we hope to increase the precision of Diwata-2’s Earth observation captures,” says Violan.

The results of the experiments can be used to yield enhancements in the design and implementation of ADCS that can be incorporated in other and future satellites.

“Attitude control systems enable spacecraft and satellites like Diwata-2 to accurately determine and adjust its orientation. As such, its robust performance is crucial to the success of the space mission. These systems also have wide ranging applications outside of space, ranging from autonomous vehicles, navigation to wearable devices for balance control. Therefore, innovation by Filipino engineers and scientists in this technology is important,” says Dr. Joel S. Marciano, Jr., the Director General of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and formerly Program Leader of the STAMINA4Space Program.

The Ground Receiving, Archiving, Science Product Development and Distribution or GRASPED project, a component of the STAMINA4Space program, assisted in carrying out the experiment. The GRASPED project is in charge of the day to day operations of the Diwata microsatellites, from deciding which targets to acquire to distributing the images to project stakeholders. In this experiment, Violan worked with the GRASPED team in tasking Diwata-2 to perform the acquisition through the Tohoku University Ground Station (CRESST), Sweden’s Kiruna Station, and the Philippine Earth Data Observation (PEDRO) Center at the Advanced Science and Technology Institute of the DOST. The data was then downloaded and processed by GRASPED into the images seen here.

Figure 2. Diwata-2’s first image of the Moon using the 740nm band of its Spaceborne Multispectral Imager (SMI) payload. Image acquired on November 14, 2019.

All eyes on the Moon

While the lunar acquisition experiments served its purpose in improving Diwata-2’s pointing accuracy, it also gave us detailed images of the Moon showing several notable features on its surface. Explorations and studies towards understanding of our planet’s only natural satellite have ensued since the Apollo missions in the ‘60s.

The commercial exploitation of the Moon has now become the subject of heightened international interest with the announcement of the Artemis Accords by NASA, which is in line with the United States-led Artemis Moon program aimed at building long-term human presence on the Moon. According to a recent Reuters news report1, the accords “appear to clear the way for companies to mine the Moon under international law and urge countries to enact similar national laws that would bind their private sector’s space operations.” Included in the plan is the establishment of so-called ‘safety zones’ on the lunar surface that are intended to ensure peaceful coexistence among parties operating Moon bases. Concerns have been raised, however, on how the safety zones might lead to national appropriation and therefore contravene the Outer Space Treaty, which states that the Moon and other celestial bodies are “not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.”

Figure 3. Notable features include the famous landing sites of Apollo 11, Luna 5, and Surveyor 3 & 4; Tycho Crater, Gassendi Crater, Ptolemaeus Crater, Schickard Crater, Copernicus Crater, Mare Humorum, Mare Nubium, and Mare Nectaris.

 

References:

¹ Retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-exploration-artemis/star-trek-not-star-wars-nasa-releases-basic-principles-for-moon-exploration-pact-idUSKBN22R2Z9

Read about Diwata-2 or browse, download, or request for images.

The post Diwata-2 acquires detailed Moon images to test pointing accuracy appeared first on STAMINA4Space.

Diwata-2’s Amateur Radio Unit (ARU), PO-101, can now accessible to licensed amateur radio users worldwide

Watch this video or follow PO-101 schedule

The post April 26, 2019 appeared first on STAMINA4Space.

Diwata-2’s Amateur Radio Unit (ARU) was designated as Philippines-OSCAR 101 (PO-101) upon the program’s request.

Learn more

The post April 11, 2019 appeared first on STAMINA4Space.

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. Learn more

The post November 15, 2018 appeared first on STAMINA4Space.

With the rising heat index in the past few weeks and most of Metro Manila in community quarantine, the question of whether water supply will be enough arises — especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. This predicament, however, can hopefully be eased by the rain coming from Typhoon Ambo, researchers say.

Researchers from University of the Philippines Diliman and Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) used both on-ground and spaceborne data to monitor and predict the water levels of Angat Dam and La Mesa Dam — two of Metro Manila’s main water reservoirs.

Home to almost 14 million people, Metro Manila needs at least 4000 million liters of water daily. This water is supplied by the Angat Dam, located north of the metro. Water from this flows directly to the nearby Ipo Dam before going straight to La Mesa Dam, completing the water system that provides most of the region’s water supply¹. However, these dams are susceptible to the seasonal fluctuations and dry spells.

Using data from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, Sentinel-1, correlated with on-ground water level measurements of the dams, the researchers from the Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program tracked the water levels of Angat Dam and La Mesa Dam from February 2015 to April 2020.

In general, the water level in Angat Dam shows a seasonal pattern, wherein a decreasing trend can be observed during dry seasons. During the dry seasons of the year, high temperature increases evaporation, affecting water and agricultural systems. The heat also raises household consumption. This, alongside lesser rainfall, can easily deplete the dams. These seasonal changes in water level is depicted in Figure 1 when La Mesa dam experienced a record low in its water level last year².

Figure 2. Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) in situ measurement and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) estimate of water level in Angat. Available in situ measurements of dam level from MWSS spans from May 2017 to April 2020 while measurements from SAR images can be inferred as early as February 2015. Forecast 1 denotes the SARIMAX model whereas Forecast 2 pertains to the 2017 Trend fit. [Source: Drought and Crop Assessment and Forecasting (DCAF) Project. Details on forecast methodologies can be provided by DCAF thru dcafphase2@gmail.com)

But will water supply be enough this year, especially with the heightened need for it in order to maintain proper hygiene during a pandemic? Data suggests it will be enough, but water conservation is still a must.

Using the SAR-based water level estimates, researchers from the Ground Receiving, Archiving System, Science Product Development and Distribution (GRASPED) Project of STAMINA4Space Program and Drought and Crop Assessment Forecast (DCAF) Project generated a four-month statistical forecast of water level in Angat and La Mesa Dams. Both projections show that the current water level will continue to decline, with one of the models predicting that the water level in Angat Dam will fall below the minimum operating level as early as June this year.

However, Typhoon Ambo may augment the water supply, providing an increased water volume in Angat and La Mesa Dams as it passes the country. This could help maintain sufficient water supply especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic when proper hygiene should be observed.

According to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s latest bulletin issued 5:00 PM today, Typhoon Ambo made its seventh landfall in Quezon with winds of up to 100 kph and gustiness of 140 kph³. Diwata-2 captured a wide field camera image of Ambo on May 12, 2020, two days before it made landfall in the country when it was still a tropical storm.

Figure 3. Wide Field Camera image of TS Ambo on May 12, 2020 (01:08 PM), two days before it made its first landfall in the Philippines and became a typhoon. Note that the WFC uses a fish-eye lens camera giving the image its distorted appearance. (Source: Project GRASPED of STAMINA4Space Program)

Measuring Dams Using Satellite Images

Traditionally, dams’ water levels are measured on-ground. However, these water reservoirs can also be measured using satellite imagery, effectively covering larger areas and concisely mapping out data. Optical satellites can be used to see the extent of water in dams, as shown in Figure 4where images of La Mesa Dam were in January, March and May this year to see the possible extent of water.

Figure 4. The blue parts depict the possible extent of water in La Mesa Dam in January, March, and May 2020 derived from Dove Satellite Images. [Source: Remote Sensing and Data Science (DATOS) Help Desk and Philippine Earth Data Resource and Observation (PEDRO) Center]

SAR sensors like the one onboard Sentinel-1 satellite emit microwaves to the surface, measuring its intensity and return time to provide information on the ground’s features, as shown in Figure 5. Because most SAR satellites rely on active sensing to gather data, these satellites can help in measuring the dams in almost all-weather conditions. And because they are in space, satellites are not vulnerable to man-made and natural disturbances such as floods and earthquakes.

These, among other advantages, can be tapped as the country continues to discover and use the vantage point of space in obtaining data about Earth.

Figure 5. An illustration of how radar satellites acquire images. (Source: STAMINA4Space Program — Project GRASPED)

 

References:

¹ Metro Manila Water Supply System. http://mwss.gov.ph/learn/metro-manila-water-supply-system [Online; accessed 2020–05–05].

² La Mesa Dam water breaks critical level. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1094150/la-mesa-dam-water-breaks-critical-level [Online; accessed 2020–05–06]

³ Severe Weather Bulletin #23: Typhoon “Ambo”. http://bagong.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/tropical-cyclone/severe-weather-bulletin/2

For more Diwata images, visit the Featured Image page.

DATOS Help Desk

• Connect to DATOS on Facebook
• Email: datos@asti.dost.gov.ph

PEDRO Center

• Connect to PEDRO Center on Facebook: facebook.com/ThePEDROCenter
• For inquiries, send an email to: grs@asti.dost.gov.ph

Drought and Crop Assessment and Forecasting (DCAF)

• The project exists as an initiative to mitigate effects of drought in the Philippines using technologies like satellite imagery, GPS, climate models, and other geospatial tools. The project is part of an even bigger scheme, Program SARAI (Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as Industry in the Philippines), which aims to provide advisories on different crops (rice, corn, sugarcane, banana, cacao, coffee, tomato, soybean, and coconut) in the nation. As one of the projects of SARAI, DCAF demonstrates the important role of remote sensing in providing real-time data that are readily available on a monthly basis, from the farm level up to a national scale.
• Email: dcafphase2@gmail.com

The post Typhoon Ambo could bring much-needed rain to dams’ dwindling water level appeared first on STAMINA4Space.

As a scientific Earth Observation satellite, Diwata-2’s primary task is to capture images of Earth but it can also be used to target other celestial bodies in our solar system. Recently, Diwata-2 was tasked to take pictures of the Moon as part of an experiment carried out by researchers from the STAMINA4Space Program and Tohoku University in Japan. The experiment was undertaken to test Diwata-2’s target pointing capability, calibrate its sensors, and monitor its health and status. Accurate target pointing is crucial for effectively capturing images of areas identified during mission planning, and the Moon is a good point of reference for target calibration. Read more

The post Detailed Moon images for pointing accuracy testing appeared first on STAMINA4Space.

Captured by Diwata-2’s Spaceborne Multispectral Imager (SMI) on January 27, 2020.

Learn more

The post Assessing Taal Volcano ashfall extent appeared first on STAMINA4Space.

Diwata-2 maintains a watchful eye as the country braces for Typhoon Tisoy (Kammuri). The satellite’s Wide Field Camera (WFC) captured an image of the storm as it approached Bicol region at 12:58:47 PHT on December 2, 2019.

Typhoon Tisoy as seen from space. The image was taken using Diwata-2’s Wide Field Camera (WFC).

At the time of capture, the storm clocked maximum sustained winds of 150 kph and gustiness of up to 185 kph according to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (PAGASA) severe weather bulletin issued at 2:00 pm on December 2. Seen in this image is the eye of the typhoon, which is roughly 200 km away from Gubat, Sorsogon where the typhoon made landfall at around 11 pm on the same day.

Latest bulletin from PAGASA as of 11 am this morning shows the center of the typhoon at 55 km east of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro with maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near its center and gustiness of up to 205 kph.

As an Earth-observing microsatellite, Diwata-2 is equipped with cameras such as the WFC which can be used to capture images of cloud patterns and typhoons. It will continue to monitor Tisoy as it moves across Luzon and leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). Forecast from PAGASA shows that Typhoon Tisoy will be out of PAR around morning of Thursday, December 5.

Please heed instructions for evacuation and observe safety precautions. Keep safe, everyone!

References:

PAGASA Severe Weather Bulletin №11. http://pubfiles.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/tamss/weather/bulletin/SWB%2311.pdf

PAGASA Severe Weather Bulletin №18.

http://bagong.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/tropical-cyclone/severe-weather-bulletin/2

Learn more about Diwata-2 or browse, download, or request for Diwata-2 images.

The post Diwata-2 captures image of Typhoon Tisoy (Kammuri) appeared first on STAMINA4Space.