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Kristine Jane Atienza

Izzy Lee

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17580121406452-Composite (3) 5.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Kristine Jane Atienza/Facebook</div>MANILA -- Can a Filipino really go to space? Kristine Jane Atienza thinks the answer is yes — and she’s proving it, one step at a time.Nearly two years ago, Atienza made history as the first Filipino analog astronaut, completing a simulation mission that replicated the challenges of spaceflight.Now, she is campaigning for a seat on Blue Origin’s New Shepard through the Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA) Space Program, which aims to make space travel more accessible to ordinary people.The flight is a suborbital journey lasting just 11 minutes and carrying six passengers beyond the Kármán line.The Kármán line, located roughly 100 kilometers above sea level, marks where Earth’s atmosphere ends and space begins. Passengers on a suborbital flight experience a few minutes of weightlessness and a view of Earth from above, without completing a full orbit around the planet.Beyond the thrill of an 11-minute flight, Atienza sees this journey as a way to inspire Filipinos and shatter the mental barrier that limits young minds from imagining themselves as astronauts.&quot;I think just simple as going out beyond the Karman line, we can break that psychological barrier sa Filipinos. It will bring a lot of opportunities for us, maybe we can fund our very own space flight program,&quot; Atienza said.In March this year, Atienza trained in Pennsylvania to become a certified for suborbital spaceflight at National AeroSpace Training And Research (NASTAR) Center, a facility that prepares civilians and astronauts for the physical and technical demands of space travel.&quot;After ng analog space mission, ang dami kong na-meet, especially students natin na they want to go to space, they want to become an astronaut. So I feel like it also became a responsibility for me to look for ways for Filipinos to go to outer space,&quot; she said.Of the six seats on Blue Origin’s New Shepard flight, four have already been announced for participants from India, Brazil, Thailand, and Nigeria. One seat has not yet been announced, while the sixth seat will be open for public voting.Atienza is hoping to rally support from Filipinos around the world to help her secure this historic opportunity.&quot;Hopefully, I can also reach the whole of Philippines for the support. Hindi lang sa &#x27;kin kung &#x27;di sa lahat ng nag-a-apply for this campaign na mga Filipinos,&quot; she said.Atienza admitted that she initially had many doubts about pursuing spaceflight as a Filipino.&quot;I think nung bata ako never sumagi sa isip ko na I will be one of the forefronts in this race to space for the Philippines pero nung naging exposed ako sa space industry and I&#x27;ve learned that space is for everyone, I&#x27;m now striving hard for us to go to outerspace,&quot; she said.She added that while it once seemed impossible, the growing opportunities in the space industry now make the dream feel increasingly attainable.Even if she doesn’t secure a seat on the Blue Origin flight, Atienza said her efforts won’t stop.&quot;I think this is one way but there are other ways that I need to fund myself. Medyo matagal but I will still look for other ways for us to go to outerspace,&quot; she said.Atienza also shared an important point about the role of Filipinos in space.&quot;Hindi lang tayo &#x27;yung tagagamit ng space technology, pero we also have we have the talent and skills to contribute to space and space is for everyone even for us Filipinos,&quot; she said.

Can a Filipino really go to space? Kristine Jane Atienza thinks the answer is yes — and she’s proving it, one step at a time.

Can a Filipino really go to space? Kristine Jane Atienza thinks the answer is yes — and she’s proving it, one step at a time.

First PH astronaut? Kristine Jane Atienza aims beyond the Kármán line

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First PH astronaut? Kristine Jane Atienza aims beyond the Kármán line

Izzy Lee,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 16, 2025 04:50 PM PHT

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