Diwata-2

Lore & Background

Diwata-2 was developed by 11 scholars under the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in cooperation with Tohoku University and Hokkaido University. Its predecessor, Diwata-1, was built by 9 DOST scholars. The planning phase included a simulation model, a mechanical test model, an engineering model, and a flight model; the flight model was completed on August 29, 2018, and handed over to JAXA the following day.

The satellite weighs 56 kg and hosts an amateur radio payload enabling people in the Philippines to relay messages via ham radio to any part of the country, intended for disaster relief operations. It also carries a Spaceborne Multispectral Imager (SMI) with a liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) for environmental monitoring, and a high precision telescope (HPT) for rapid post-disaster assessment. Compared to Diwata-1, Diwata-2 hosts enhanced resolution cameras and deployable solar panels.

Diwata-2 was launched directly into orbit from the H-IIA rocket at Tanegashima Space Center, piggybacking on the Japanese satellite Gosat-2. It was deployed at an altitude of 620 km. Communication with the DOST-ASTI ground station in Quezon City was first established on October 29, 2018, at 21:52 (UTC+8). The satellite has a Sun-synchronous orbit and a fixed visit interval of 16 days, meaning it passes over the same position on Earth every 16 days.

Reader's Guide

Diwata-2 represents a notable step in the Philippine space program as the first satellite launched under the STAMINA4Space program. Its amateur radio payload, designated PO-101 by AMSAT and assigned the call sign DW4TA, was specifically included for disaster relief, allowing ham radio operators in the Philippines to relay messages across the country when terrestrial communications may be disrupted. This function distinguishes it from its predecessor Diwata-1, which did not carry such a payload.

The satellite also continues the Earth observation mission of Diwata-1 with upgraded cameras, including a Spaceborne Multispectral Imager with a liquid crystal tunable filter and a high precision telescope for post-disaster assessment. Its deployment directly from the H-IIA rocket, rather than from the International Space Station as with Diwata-1, and its Sun-synchronous orbit at 620 km with a 16-day revisit interval, mark operational differences. The satellite was developed by 11 DOST scholars in cooperation with Japanese universities, and its projected life expectancy is five years.