The Green Report: First Filipino in space soon?

We talk to Kristine Jane Atienza, analog astronaut and space nutrition advocate, on her campaign to be the first Filipino to join a sub-orbital flight

MANILA, Philippines – Did you ever dream of going to space when you were a kid?

It might seem like a far-fetched dream before, but now, with the commercialization of space travel, some Filipinos are campaigning to become part of a sub-orbital flight.

One of them is Kristine Jane Atienza, a nutritionist-dietitian who’s campaigning to be part of Blue Origin’s New Shepard mission through the Space Exploration and Research Agency. The mission is sending six “ordinary” citizens to space in 2026.

Atienza was part of the six-day analog mission at the Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation in 2023. She actively promotes space nutrition, helping out related initiatives at the Philippine Space Agency. In February 2025, Atienza founded the Space Nutrition Network which consists of over 50 members from 23 countries.

In this episode, environment editor Jee Geronimo and multimedia reporter Iya Gozum talks to Atienza about her crusade to become the first Filipino in space.

Catch this episode on Saturday, October 18, at 5:30 pm.

– Rappler.com