MANILA, Philippines – A Cygnus spacecraft carrying the first Filipino-built microsatellite Diwata-1 will be launched at 10 a.m. (Manila time) today from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Diwata-1 was assembled by a team of nine young Filipino engineers based in Tohoku University and Hokkaido University in Japan last year. The satellite is among the payload of Orbital ATK’s Cygnus bound for the International Space Station (ISS).

The Diwata-1 will be initially placed at the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) nicknamed “Kibo” attached to the ISS.

Towards the end of April, the JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer will release Diwata-1 into space at an altitude of 400 kilometers from the earth’s surface.

Diwata-1 carries four special cameras for various purposes including capabilities in imaging weather patterns, agricultural productivity and high resolution imaging of the country’s land and water resources.

The satellite is expected to be in orbit for approximately 20 months and will pass by the Philippines twice daily.