Last August 12, 2024, the 8th Philippine Space Council (PSC) meeting, led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., took place at the PhilSA headquarters in Libis, Bagumbayan, Quezon City. The event also marked the celebration of Philippine Space Week.
Before the meeting, the President was updated on the progress of his directive to develop and use space science and technology in the country, and was shown a replica of the Multilateral Unit for Land Assessment (MULA) satellite, developed by 16 Filipino engineers in the United Kingdom, and the Pandora instruments for air quality measurements.
The satellite is scheduled for launch in the United States between October 2025 and March 2026 using SpaceX Transporter-16.
PhilSA reported that, under the President’s directive, they have partnered with international space agencies from countries like Japan, the UK, France, South Korea, and the US.
They also distributed a total of 59,455 satellite images and maps, and launched the Space Data Dashboard for public access. Additionally, they signed 12 data mobilization agreements with various government agencies from July 2022 to June 30, 2024 and received four Pandora instruments for air quality measurements.
Officials from key government agencies, including Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr., Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan Uy, and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Acting Secretary Ma. Christina Aldeguer-Roque also attended the meeting. PhilSA Director General Joseph Marciano Jr. and Deputy Director General Gay Jane Perez provided the President with an update on PhilSA’s ongoing programs.
