Next-gen Philippine satellites will rocket into Earth orbit in 2023, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) announced yesterday.
The Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment (MULA) Earth observation satellite can capture over 100,000 square kilometers worth of images each day.
The satellite’s multispectral imager calibrated for land assessment is like having an “astronaut” in space, said John Leur Labrador, MULA project manager.
With its capability to capture higher resolution images, MULA will be able to better monitor terrestrial ecosystems as well as land and marine resources to ensure both agricultural productivity and environmental integrity, said Dr. Gay Jane Perez, deputy director-general of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA).
With the satellite, for example, the country will be able to assess environmental conditions to be more proactive in disaster management and mitigation, she said.
Weighing 130 kilograms, the commercial-grade MULA satellite follows the country’s first microsatellites.
The Philippines has previously launched and operated of Earth Observation microsatellites: Diwata-1 and Diwata-2 and CubeSats Maya-1, Maya-2 and another Maya satellite coming.
MULA is being designed and manufactured together with UK-based British company Surrey Space Technology Ltd (SSTL), a provider of small satellite development and know-how-transfer.
“We use the satellites to generate images and other data, which we control and mobilize to support evidence-based policies for better governance, leading to productive communities and inclusive development,” said Dr. Joel Marciano, Jr., PhilSA director-general.”
Research and development is under the DOST-funded Advanced Satellite and Know-how Transfer for the Philippines (ASP) Project. It is part of DOST’s priorities: to provide space technology for public applications.
The new MULA satellite will carry a sophisticated camera capable of capturing 5-meter resolution images with a wide swath of 120 square kilometers.
It will have nine spectral bands that can be used for different environmental applications such as disaster management, land use and land cover change mapping, crop monitoring and forestry management.
The camera will be “a new benchmark for Earth Observation capabilities at this mass and price point,” said Phil Brownnett, SSTL Managing Director.
The MULA satellite will be equipped with two other payloads: the Automatic Identification System and the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast which can be utilized for ship and aircraft detection and tracking.
MULA’s mission objectives are based on a needs assessment conducted by the ASP Project of ASTI’s Space Technology Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space) Program. – Jed Macapagal
