Filipinos are leaving a mark in space technology with the country launching more satellite missions.

The Philippines has carved out a space for itself. Six years ago, the country’s first micro-satellite, Diwata-1, was launched into space from the International Space Station. Filipino and Japanese scientists and engineers jointly worked on it.

The country now has six small satellites in space while three more are under development. The Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment Satellite (MULA)is the country’s first commercial-grade satellite.

Dr. Rogel Mari Sese, the chair of the Aerospace Engineering Department at Ateneo de Davao University was quoted as saying by the Philstar Global that in 1800s the country had the Observatorio Meteorologico de Manila, now known as Manila Observatory, which first conducted “activities in weather observation and then later ventured into studies related to astronomy.”

PhilSA Director General Joel Marciano also told Philstar.com that “participating in the space economy is a national imperative since it contributes to the local economy and helps develop a highly-skilled workforce. ”

PhilSA is currently developing the country’s space sector in the upstream and downstream segments with the upstream sector involving launch of objects into space like “satellites, rovers, space probes” while the downstream segment uses these projects to deliver products and services for scientific use on Earth.