Another cube satellite, developed by Filipino engineers, is going up into space.
Called Maya-7, the two-unit cube satellite (CubeSat) under development has completed the Preliminary Design Review.
A team of select students and researchers are currently designing and developing the Maya-7 CubeSat. Another team is developing mission payloads that will be integrated into Maya-7.
Once released in space, Maya-7 will move along an orbit similar to that of the International Space Station (ISS) at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers. As with previous CubeSats developed by Filipino engineers, the ISS will deploy Maya 7 into space.
Maya 7 will be operated through Philippine Universities Ground Archiving and Data Reception station at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus.
Its predecessors, Maya-5 and Maya-6, are now orbiting in space, deployed into earth orbit by the ISS on July 19.
A CubeSat is a miniature satellite measuring 10 centimeters on all sides and averaging no more than 2 kilograms. Maya-5 and Maya-6 each weigh about 1.15 kilograms.
Maya-7 will be doing even more complex space missions, according to the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA).
Maya-7 is under development through PhilSA’s Advancing Core Competencies and Expertise in Space Studies Nanosat Project (ACCESS Nanosat).
