19/08/2026
Proudly one of ours! ๐
Congratulations to Czar Augustus Estraรฑero Domingo, Batch 88 of Tabuk National High School, now TCNHS, on this inspiring achievement! Your alma mater is proud of you! ๐๐
CZAR AUGUSTUS ESTRAรERO DOMINGO: FROM TABUK TO NASAโS ROCKET LAUNCH PROGRAM
Czar Augustus Estraรฑero Domingo is a Filipino engineer from Tabuk, Kalinga, whose childhood dream of becoming an astronaut eventually led him to work on NASA rocket-launch missions.
Born to Cipriano V. Domingo and Purificacion Andaya Estraรฑero, a former principal of Tabuk National High School, Domingo grew up in Tabuk and studied at Tabuk National High School in the 1980s. As a student, he dreamed of becoming an astronaut, even though some people mocked his ambition. He later pursued engineering at the Mapรบa Institute of Technology, turning his fascination with space and technology into a professional career.
Before working on NASA-related missions, Domingo built a strong career in the private sector, including work with multinational companies such as Johnson & Johnson and telecommunications giant AT&T. His specialization in networking and data communications eventually became crucial to his involvement in space-launch operations.
In 2021, Domingo was identified as part of a 27-member NASA team preparing for the agency's historic first rocket launch from a commercial facility outside the United States. The launch site was the Arnhem Space Centre in Australia, near the equator, where NASA planned to launch Black Brant IX sounding rockets for astrophysics research.
Domingo served as the Lead Network Engineer/Data Communication Engineer, responsible for designing and establishing the communications network at the launch facility. The network connected NASA's radar, telemetry systems, LSTAR, range and launch command centers, intercoms and other communications equipment. It also enabled scientific data gathered from the rockets' experimental instruments to be transmitted and validated.
His NASA career has included participation in several rocket missions, including the launch of a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station, delivering vital supplies to astronauts aboard the ISS.
Although Domingo has not become an astronaut himself, his career has brought him remarkably close to the dream he had as a young student. Working with NASA and contributing to rocket launches allowed him to become part of the technology and operations that make space exploration possible.
Domingo credits his achievements to God, his family and his parents, who taught him faith, education, honesty, patience, hard work and humility. He has said that his faith keeps him grounded while his family's support gives him the strength to persevere.
Domingo is also a first cousin of former Tabuk mayor Darwin Estraรฑero.
From a young boy in Tabuk who dared to dream of becoming an astronaut to an engineer entrusted with critical communications systems for NASA rocket missions, Czar Augustus Estraรฑero Domingo's journey is a story of perseverance, technical excellence and faith. His life demonstrates that a dream once considered impossible can become a meaningful reality through education, hard work and determination.
