MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine House Company (PhilSA) hopes to launch its flagship undertaking, the Multispectral Unit for Land Evaluation or MULA satellite tv for pc, into house someday in 2026. Its 16 engineers have been engaged on the undertaking since 2021 with a spacecraft engineering firm in the UK (UK).
PhilSA’s effort, nonetheless, doesn’t cease as soon as the satellite tv for pc is orbiting Earth. The true job awaits within the Philippines, the place PhilSA goals to repeat the work it did within the UK right here at residence.
“[It’s] actually thrilling, but in addition scary on the identical time,” MULA satellite tv for pc engineer Keziah Bartilad stated about replicating the MULA undertaking within the Philippines.
“Pagbalik namin (After we return), we wish to maintain the momentum going. ‘Pag nabigyan tayo ng assets (After we’re given the assets), we wish to maintain constructing satellites for the Filipino individuals.”
“A few of it’ll have some challenges, undoubtedly,” Manuel del Rosario, additionally amongst MULA’s satellite tv for pc engineers, stated. However he and his teammates at PhilSA are assured that some components will now be simpler because the MULA undertaking enters its last phases.
Having spent a 12 months and a half within the UK, Bartilad, Del Rosario, and their fellow MULA satellite tv for pc engineer Paul Leonard Atchong Hilario, returned to the Philippines and took half in a discussion board in Quezon Metropolis on August 10 for Philippine House Week 2025. They shared their tales, together with PhilSA geologist Jace Refran, concerning the MULA undertaking and the way it helps construct a sustainable house trade within the Philippines.
Filipino-made device for Filipino wants
The MULA satellite tv for pc, as soon as accomplished, can be the largest satellite tv for pc constructed and launched by Filipinos. As an Earth remark satellite tv for pc, it could take photos of the Philippines, with a much bigger and higher digicam than its predecessors, Diwata-1 and -2.
Pagbalik namin, we wish to maintain the momentum going. ‘Pag nabigyan tayo ng assets, we wish to maintain constructing satellites for the Filipino individuals.
The undertaking started in 2021, however Hilario stated discussions about MULA’s specs had been already ongoing amongst Filipino scientists years in the past, even earlier than the institution of PhilSA in 2019. The scientists based mostly the specs on the issues they wished to look at within the Philippines.
“Ang [ilan sa mga] gusto natin makita: Gaano ba kalusog ‘yong mga pananim natin, gaano kasigla ‘yong kagubatan, nagbago ba ang paggamit natin ng lupa,” Hilario stated. (We wished to look at how wholesome our crops are, how vibrant the forests are, whether or not our land use has modified, amongst different issues.)
“At dahil doon, pinili natin kung ano ‘yong decision na kailangan natin: Gaano kaliit ‘yong gusto mo makitang detalye, anong kulay ang sisilipin natin…. Pinag-isipan natin mabuti kung paano ito magiging operational.”
(And due to that, we decided the decision we would have liked — how superb the main points ought to be, what colours to look at. We fastidiously thought-about tips on how to make it operational.)
The MULA satellite tv for pc, Refran stated, can be a Filipino-made device for Filipino wants. (READ: How the MULA satellite tv for pc may enhance catastrophe response within the Philippines)
What must occur to repeat MULA at residence?
“PhilSA isn’t just about us engineers,” Bartilad stated. “By way of trade… it’s a must to construct, it’s a must to begin someplace.”
Whereas the engineers construct the satellite tv for pc within the UK, the remainder of the PhilSA staff builds the house trade within the Philippines to assist the undertaking. (READ: Filipino house engineer Julie Ann Banatao shoots for the celebs)
“Naghahanap tayo ng mga companions sa personal sector, sa trade, para maka-partner natin sa pagbuo ng mga [satellite],” Hilario stated. (We’re searching for companions within the personal sector, in trade, to collaborate with us in constructing satellites.)
For instance, PhilSA has been working with precision machining service supplier Utilized Machining Company on this endeavor. PhilSA engineers helped prepare the engineers of Utilized Machining to construct parts for satellites.
Del Rosario was amongst those that led the coaching. His staff tried to bolster and educate them about house requirements — no matter they wanted to know for his or her parts to succeed in space-grade.
“So far as I can see, ‘yong parts nila, industrial-grade naman eh. Konting push na lang, puwede na siya for house.” Del Rosario stated. (So far as I can see, their parts are already industrial-grade. With just a bit push, their parts may be space-grade.)
“It’s only a matter of assembly the requirements and refining it a bit.”
Other than partnering with personal corporations, PhilSA collaborates as properly with Philippine universities for house analysis and in constructing some satellite tv for pc parts. It’s additionally partnering with establishments in constructing testing services within the Philippines for house expertise, Hilario stated.
“One actually necessary factor isn’t just effort from PhilSA, however effort from the entire nation together with trade,” Bartilad stated.
Hilario additionally emphasised the way it’s necessary to start out small.
“‘Yong pagbuo ng digicam, susubukan natin muna ‘yong maliliit na digicam for house. Hindi siya kasing-laki ng ginagamit kay MULA, pero it’s a step ahead,” Hilario stated. (We’ll start with making an attempt to construct smaller cameras for house. It received’t be as massive as MULA’s, nevertheless it’s a step ahead.)
As soon as they can construct a smaller model, Hilario stated, they’ll step by step scale it up till they develop one thing as massive as MULA’s. In addition they intention to construct the identical onboard computer systems, in addition to the construction and general design of MULA.
All people has an area within the house trade
Other than constructing satellites, PhilSA additionally runs internships and scholarship packages. Via these, college students acquire hands-on expertise in constructing satellite tv for pc parts and fashions, in addition to processing photos transmitted from house, amongst different issues. (READ: How this satellite tv for pc undertaking breeds new technology of Filipino house engineers)
“When our engineers truly created a satellite tv for pc out of a design or a blueprint… we’re additionally opening that as a possibility for our fellow Filipinos to turn into half [of what we do in the] Philippine House Company,” Refran stated.
As soon as MULA is already in house, Refran identified that PhilSA would additionally want the assistance of different researchers to translate these photos from MULA into the Filipino’s particular wants.
“There’s house for everyone within the house trade,” Refran stated.
The engineer and chief of the MULA satellite tv for pc undertaking, Izrael Bautista, who was current on the discussion board, took the prospect to thank those that have been supporting MULA and PhilSA’s different efforts because the company marks its sixth anniversary.
“Ito pong MULA — siyempre sinisigurado natin na bawat sentimo na ginastos ng gobyerno ay pakikinabangan natin. Kaya asahan ninyo sa mga susunod na taon ay gagamitin natin — sa abot nating makakaya para makatulong sa bawat Pilipino — itong mga photos, pati ‘yong future satellites na i-lo-launch ng Philippine House Company,” Bautista stated.
(With MULA, we’re ensuring that each centavo spent by the federal government will likely be put to good use. That’s why you may anticipate that within the coming years, we’ll maximize these photos — in addition to these from future satellites to be launched by the Philippine House Company — to assist each Filipino.)
Like Bartilad, Del Rosario admits to feeling scared about placing what they realized within the UK into follow within the Philippines.
“Siyempre malaking endeavor ‘yon sa ‘min, dahil kami na ‘yong mag-li-lead noong paggawa [sa Pilipinas, dahil] kami ‘yong tumutulong sa paggawa noong nasa UK,” Del Rosario stated.
(After all, it is a main endeavor for us, as we’ll now be main the development within the Philippines, having beforehand contributed to the construct within the UK.)
Nonetheless, he feels excited to lastly flip his childhood dream and keenness into actuality.
As of this writing, among the MULA engineers are nonetheless within the UK. MULA is within the meeting section, the place the satellite tv for pc’s components get put collectively right into a working unit. The subsequent section can be testing the satellite tv for pc.
As PhilSA completes its flagship undertaking, it continues to hope extra individuals will likely be concerned in its efforts.
“Sana ma-inspire din tayo bilang mga Pilipino na kaya natin ma-achieve ‘yong mga ganitong satellite tv for pc or applied sciences na dati hindi natin nagagawa,” Bartilad stated. “Ngayon, kaya na natin.”
(I hope that, as Filipinos, we may be impressed by the truth that we are actually able to attaining satellites and applied sciences that had been as soon as past our attain. Now, we will.) – Rappler.com
