Rizal teens win int'l satellite design competition

A team of students from the Rizal National Science High School clinched the top spot in the Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) Can Satellite Competition held in Laguna from November 11 to 14.

Team leader Josh Rael Jorquia and his teammates, Matthew Lemuel Rey and Maria Ena Rosales, bested rivals from Malaysia, Vietnam, Nepal, Japan and Pakistan. 

The Filipino teens' can satellite was designed and programmed to gather atmospheric data. "The mission of our can satellite was to collect data like humidity, heat index, intensity of light and also the dewpoint," Jorquia said in an interview with GMA News Online.

Philippine applications

"I think the cansat we developed is so helpful in terms of weather monitoring and that was the edge we had among other teams," Jorquia added. 

A can satellite or "cansat" is a smaller version of an artificial satellite that enables high school students to learn about basic hardware and software programming. The platform teaches students how to utilize data and to learn the applications of space technology—particularly in a Philippine setting, where weather monitoring, agriculture, and disaster risk applications are of key importance.

Learning from previous failures

With just two months to prepare, Jorquia, a Grade 11 student of RNSHS and the team's captain, described the experience as a triumph over the failed can satellite launch in the 1st Philippine Can Satellite competition held in 2015. 

With that loss, the team, under the supervision of their adviser and robotics teacher, Marlon Sta. Catalina, worked hard to secure their spot to compete in the APRSAF Can Satellite Competition by winning on the 2nd Philippine Can Satellite Competition last October 2016 in Los Baños, Laguna during the World Soace Week.

"Nag-training po kami and in our school, we have a robotics subject in our curriculum and we also do self study," Jorquia tells GMA News Online. He also indicated that additional training and workshop was provided by the Department of Science and Technology.

Even Jorquia's classmates got involved. "Minsan po, nanghihingi kami ng tulong sa mga classmates namin para makabili ng mga parts kahit 'yung ambagan lang," Jorquia expressed gratefully.

For Sta. Catalina, the success of the group was all about teamwork, rigorous training and accepting challenges. "We bought sensors abroad that suits our needs for the can satellite since its not available in the country," Sta. Catalona said. He further added, "We analyzed data using internet, PAG-ASA and International Space Station data and looked for significant differences in our obtained data, and if there is a discrepancy, we try to calibrate it (sensors) to make it accurate."

Kids' next mission

Winning this international competition is just the beginning for the RNSHS team: they want to move up to more difficult challenges. 

"For our next mission, we plan to do a flyback can satellite where it can go back to the place where it was launched," Jorquia said. 

Sta. Catalina also added that they want to collect data just like Diwata-1 and incoporate more sensors.

More than the can satellite mission, Jorquia expressed a passion for electronics and robotics with space applications, hoping to be an aeronautical engineer someday. 

"I want to be an electronjcs communications engineer or aeronautical engineer and work with the government, lalo na gagawin na ang Philippine Space Agency," he beamed. 

It's a dream that just might come true, if the Philippine Space Agency is realized thanks to House Bill 3637 and Senate Bill 1211.

The Can Satellite Competition was organized by the APRSAF, together with the Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute. It is one of the side events of the 23rd APRSAF Forum that is ongoing from November 14 to 18 in Manila, the first time for the Philippines to serve as host. Other side evemts include a Water Bottle Rocket Compeition and Space Generation Workshop.

The 23rd APRSAF Forum gathers the leaders of different space agencies and organizations across the Asia Pacific to talk about collaborative projects and applications of space technology for the benefit of countries in the region. — TJD, GMA News