In an effort to engage  the visual arts community, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) is calling on designers, artists, and space enthusiasts to join the mission of the country's first commercial-grade satellite in development - the Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment or MULA satellite - in creating its mission patch.

A contest was launched during the Design Week Philippines celebration, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry-Design Center of the
Philippines (DTI-DCP).

Mission patches serve to symbolize the purpose and relevance of a specific space mission, and are meant to inspire the public to identify with and support these missions.

Patches of Philippine satellites Diwata-1, Diwata-2, and the Maya CubeSats have been designed by scientists and engineers involved in their development. PhilSA is now drawing on the arts and design community through the competition to make the development of the MULA satellite more inclusive.

The mechanics for the contest were announced during the MULA Satellite Orientation held in Escolta, Manila on Saturday.

The competition is open to all Filipinos 18 years old and above residing anywhere in the world. Employees and relatives of PhilSA and the DTI up to the second degree of consanguinity and affinity are ineligible from joining the contest.

The submitted mission patch design should not contain the name of the artist or any indications of its authorship.

The design should revolve around the mission of MULA, namely: addressing food security, disaster resilience, environment conservation, and national
sovereignty. It must also be representative of Filipino values and culture.

The rest of the mechanics can be found at https://philsa.gov.ph/events/mula-mission-patch-contest.

All mission patch design entries will undergo two rounds of judging. Shortlisted entries will be notified via email. The deadline for submission will be on November 20.

MULA Project Manager and PhilSA Spacecraft Mechanical and Autonomous Systems Development Division (SMASDD) Chief Science Research Specialist Engr. John Leur Labrador explains how the satellite intends to contribute socio-economic benefits for the country: "MULA, through high-resolution imaging, aims to provide usable information to improve the country's agricultural sector, national defense, disaster management, coastal monitoring, and ocean studies."

MULA, eyed for launch in 2025, is the biggest Earth observation satellite being built by the Philippines to date. It weighs 130 kilograms and carries a TrueColour camera capable of capturing 5m resolution images covering around 73,000 square kilometers in 24 hours. Data from MULA are envisioned to contribute to the country's food security, disaster resilience, environment conservation, and national security. Its completion entails a government investment of P2.578 billion from 2023-2025, with P498.505 million allocated for this year.

"The total return on investment from MULA over its projected lifetime of five years from launch is more than double its investment cost. Based on the cost of medium-resolution satellite images similar to what MULA can produce, the potential gains from the satellite could reach P5.78 billion," Labrador said. Tamara Morrigan Catada