‘Frustrated astronaut’ Marcos meets Pinoy real deal

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos, who once dreamed of becoming an astronaut, met with Filipino astronauts recently and vowed support for the country’s space program.

Marcos “eagerly listened” to the experiences and insights of the four Filipinos who have participated in space simulation missions and training programs worldwide, during a courtesy call on Thursday in Malacañang, according to the Presidential Communications Office.

He met with Kristine Jane Atienza, a nutrition specialist from Bataan; Dr. Marvic Jon Alcantara, a medical specialist from Cavite; Florence Pauline Basubas, a space biologist from Cebu; and Dr. Mark Angelo Purio, a space engineer from Oriental Mindoro.

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The President expressed support for their future endeavors and encouraged them to share their experiences to inspire more Filipino youth to pursue careers in space science and technology.

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“Congratulations. Keep it going. I am so glad that we have a presence in all these space sciences. It has become so much easier now … much safer than it used to be,” he told them.

Analog astronauts

In his official Facebook page, Mr. Marcos expressed appreciation for their visit, saying “it is not every day that I get to talk about space in Malacañang.”

“Our Filipino analog astronauts are already testing here on Earth what it takes to live and work beyond it. I look forward to the day when a Filipino takes that science all the way to space,” he posted.

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Astronauts in analog missions simulate some of the conditions astronauts may experience while living and working on the moon, Mars or in space. These include isolation, communication delays, limited resources, and other physical, operational, and psychological challenges.

Space missions

These trainings prepare them when they go aboard a spacecraft or sent to the International Space Station in real microgravity.

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The four analog astronauts have taken part in missions and training programs in different countries.

Atienza participated in the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation program in 2023 and received suborbital spaceflight certification from the National Aerospace Training and Research Center in Pennsylvania.

Alcantara became the first Filipino medical doctor to serve as an analog astronaut and has participated in missions in Hawaii and Australia.

Basubas served as executive and medical officer for the Monsaraz Mars Analog Mission in Portugal.

Purio became the first Filipino engineer analog astronaut through the LunAres Mission M4.26 in Poland. He was also involved in the development of the Philippines’ Maya-2 cube satellite.

In an April 2022 interview with CNN Philippines, then presidential candidate Marcos shared that had he not been in politics, he might have pursued his dream of being an astronaut or a rock star. He has also described himself as a “frustrated scientist.”

South Korean training

During the courtesy call, Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) Director General Gay Jane Perez also briefed Mr. Marcos on plans to develop the country’s analog missions and prepare Filipinos for future human spaceflight opportunities.

PhilSA is also training with a South Korean space company to develop a liquid-fueled rocket for a planned test launch in Cagayan in 2027.

A 10-member PhilSA team is gaining hands-on experience and building expertise during training in South Korea from August to October 2026, focusing on the development, assembly and testing of a liquid-fueled rocket.

The training is part of PhilSA’s “SIKLAB: Building Industrial Space Launch Systems Project” and is being conducted with the South Korean space mobility company Perigee Aerospace Inc., a leading private space launch company in Asia.

“Progressively developing our domestic launch capabilities will allow greater flexibility and independence in sending satellites into space, which serves the country’s key sectors such as security, telecommunications, and agriculture,” Perez said in a statement on Saturday.

The rocket assembled by the PhilSA team during the training will be transported to the Philippines for further testing ahead of next year’s launch.

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PhilSA said the training aims to strengthen the country’s capacity to deploy satellites and scientific payloads that provide services on Earth. —With a report from Andrea Gregorio