Iloilo satellite ground receiving station marks first successful signal lock with DIWATA-2

The Department of Science and Technology the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) alongside DOST VI Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Unit (DRRMU), Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) observed the first successful signal locking between the Iloilo ground receiving station (GRS) and DIWATA 2 microsatellite.

The signal locking commenced on August 1 at exactly 2:28PM. It lasted for 15 minutes wherein instructions were uploaded to the microsatellite and data or information were downloaded back to the command center.

According to ASTI, “The facility receives and provides space-borne imagery to various government agencies, local government units and state universities and colleges for use in various operational and research activities in the areas of emergency response management, agricultural monitoring, forest and environmental surveillance, urban-change detection, and other similar activities”. As a result, the ground receiving station is now able to communicate with other commercial satellites owned by other countries where they are permitted access.

The Iloilo GRS was installed as part of DOST-ASTI’s Understanding Lightnings and Thunderstorms or Project ULAT in partnership with DOST VI, Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT U), and the local government unit (LGU) Dumangas. The station and its facilities were established in 2019 at Dumangas, Iloilo.

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