The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Tuesday said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has began its low altitude flights to test Metro Manila’s quality of air.

DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said NASA’s Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality science mission deployed their DC-8 aircraft targeting four flights that began 5 to 14 February.

Loyzaga said the aircraft flight over the Manila urban area at a safe, low-altitude, without harm to public, wildlife, or infrastructure, is part of the international collaboration of NASA and the DENR to study and address air quality issues in the Asian region.

Loyzaga added that NASA’s scientific research flights are specifically designed to study the atmosphere of Metro Manila and its surrounding regions, with engineers and air quality specialists of the Environmental Management Bureau boarding the flights and learning from the NASA scientists on board.

“This collaboration with NASA and other respected partners will lead to significant advances in our understanding of air pollution and our ability to tackle this pressing issue,” Loyzaga said.

“The data gathered from the research flights will be used in our programs to mitigate air quality issues that affect public health and address climate change,” she added.

The partnership, called ASIA — AQ, brings together experts from NASA in the United States, the Philippines’, South Korea’s National Institute of Environmental Research, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency.

Loyzaga said that the NASA mission will be using advanced satellite technology, ground-based observations, and airborne missions to gain a better understanding of the air quality problems specific to Metro Manila.

“The collaboration will help to improve air quality models, provide accurate forecasts, and develop effective policies to ensure better air quality in the future,” she added.