It has been in the talks that Philippines could potentially be the first country in Southeast Asia to utilize Starlink. For people new to this, Starlink is a satellite internet constellation manufactured and operated by SpaceX which could extend internet connectivity to the rural or even the most remote parts of the Earth. There are already 1,649 active Starlink satellites orbiting the planet to date and 272 moving to their operational orbits. Earlier this year, Philippine senators had a discussion with SpaceX executives in providing the country with an access to the high-speed satellite internet service. With most of the people currently going through their individual academic endeavors online given the whole pandemic situation, internet connection has been one of the most challenging things to maintain. Educational institutions are constantly being held back by the repeating rise of COVID cases while schools in other countries are already permitting their students attend on-campus lectures. I have been following Starlink for a while now hoping that they would someday find its way to the Philippines. This proposal could be far greater than what people could expect. I sure am equipped with a lot of optimism when it comes to the idea of my countryfolks fully harnessing the benefits of space technology that has been improving and helping them in their daily lives.
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SOURCE: MARK GARLICK | GETTY IMAGES
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SOURCE: SATELLITEMAP.SPACE
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| PHOTO COURTESY OF SPACEX |
A SpaceX launchpad proposal has also been considered to be built here in the Philippines, particularly in Mindanao due to its proximity to the equator. Having a spaceport near the equator would provide much efficiency on rocket launches since it would only require less fuel for the rocket to go and maneuver all the way to space. That would not only generate job opportunities for laborers especially engineers and scientists whose talents have long been unrecognized in the country but it would also give the Philippines a reputation for being a space-faring nation - a new but promising player in the game. A launchpad would not only give us an opportunity to serve clients from other countries but it would also allow the our country to deploy its satellites from its native soil for purposes such as research, navigation for ships and aircrafts, weather monitoring, communications, gathering intelligence in military, and environmental protection. Who knows, maybe the first batch of Philippine astronauts would finally be introduced a couple of years from now? I know we're pretty much far from it as of now but I sure do have high hopes for good things to come that cannot just contribute to the progress of this country but for big proposals to pave ways for the Philippine economy to rise in unprecedented levels which, in turn, will benefit the people in countless ways. In retrospect, I'm not particularly stating what political candidate I am in most favor with in this most anticipated elections but what I eagerly hope for is for this initiative or any other big projects and proposals in the Philippine science sector and R&D to push forward and not be forsaken no matter who wins the election. Now this is also where the flaw dominates - most R&D projects here in the country that can lead to breakthroughs usually tend to have a high depicted chance of being shut down due to the lack of funding and support from the government. With new sets of country leaders upcoming, I hope I am wrong. I hope they won't fail us. This may just be an ordinary blog written by a person with not much of a significance (yet) to society and I know my voice isn't enough for the bigger people to hear but I hope concerns will be heard and answered, problems as a nation will be recognized and solved, and for Filipino people to be enlightened through fundamental science knowledge that can ultimately give them a better world view. If taken earnestly, this would truly be a remarkable and a promising endeavor for the Filipino folks out there with dreams waiting with bated breath to be realized. We should all carefully and logically select a leader fit enough to justify their designated roles and hopefully it's a person that actually gives much value to scientific standpoints with respect to the current events and issues happening around the world, for our future as a nation entirely depends on it.
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