Mabuhay Satellite Corporation Explained

Mabuhay Satellite Corporation
Type:Private
Parent:PLDT
(1994-2009)
Asia Broadcast Satellite
(2009-2012)
Location:Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
Key People:Gabriel Z. Pimentel: President, CEO
Successor:Mabuhay Investment Corporation (2012)
Fate:Renamed and shifted to a different industry
Industry:Aerospace
Services:Satellite operation and maintenance
Homepage:mabuhaysat.com

Mabuhay Satellite Corporation (MSC) was a Filipino aerospace corporation responsible for operating communication satellites and before 2009, the only Philippine company to do so. It was later renamed as Mabuhay Investment Corporation (MIC) and became a holding company owned by PLDT.[1] It once owned the Agila 2 satellite which provides coverage in the Asia-Pacific region. Aside from satellite operation, it also provided satellite-related services. It operated two space centers, namely the Mabuhaysat Subic Space Center, its main hub, and the Mabuhaysat Zamboanga Space Center at Zamboanga City, its back-up hub.[2]

History

Founded on 10 November 1994 bearing the name Mabuhay Philippine Satellite Corporation (MPSC), the company was established primarily to build, own, operate and maintain an international satellite facility and other forms of telecommunications equipment that are capable of providing telecommunications and broadcasting on a domestic and international level.[3] It was formed by a former member of the Philippine Agila Satellite Inc. (PASI) another consortium and later competitor of the MPSC, PLDT which was the largest member of PASI.[4]

The majority of the board of directors agreed, at a meeting held on April 10, 2003, to eliminate the word "Philippines" from the company's name, as the company was set to be the ideal satellite operator internationally, not only within the Philippines.[5]

On November 6, 2009, MSC's communication satellite operation business was sold to Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) after they signed an agreement.[6]

On January 13, 2012 after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the amendment on its articles of incorporation, Mabuhay Satellite Corporation was renamed Mabuhay Investment Corporation.[7]

Satellites

Agila 1

See main article: Agila 1.

Agila 2

See main article: Agila 2.

Launched in 1999, the Agila 2 provides coverage in the Asia-Pacific region. Its control station was located at the MPSC Space Center in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The spacecraft was launched by the Long March 3B in its first successful flight and currently orbits at 146°E longitude.[8]

References

  1. Web site: Firm investing $800 M to build 5 satellites. Emmie V. Abadilla. January 30, 2010. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation.
  2. Web site: Facilities. Mabuhay Satellite Corporation. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100901004824/http://www.mabuhaysat.com/facilities.php. 2010-09-01.
  3. News: PLDT forms satellite firm. The Manila Standard. November 4, 1994.
  4. Book: MacKie-Mason. Jeffrey. Waterman. David. Telephony, the Internet, and the Media: Selected Papers From the 1997 Telecommunications Policy Research Conference. 26 November 2013. Routledge. 978-1136684265. 239–242. https://books.google.com/books?id=3SEuAgAAQBAJ&dq=PASI+satellite+philippines&pg=PA239. 19 January 2016. Communication Satellite Policies in Asia.
  5. Web site: MABUHAY History in Briefs. Mabuhay Satellite Corporation. 2010-04-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20100428050722/http://www.mabuhaysat.com/thecompany-history.php. 2010-04-28. dead.
  6. Web site: Asia Broadcast Satellite To Acquire Mabuhay Satellite Corporation. July 11, 2012. www.absatellite.net. July 11, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20130616122842/http://www.absatellite.net/2009/11/06/asia-broadcast-satellite-to-acquire-mabuhay-satellite-corporation/. June 16, 2013. dead.
  7. PLDT Financial Information . 8 May 2013 . 19 June 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131224143620/http://www.pldt.com.ph/investor/Documents/1Q2013%20FS.pdf . 24 December 2013 .
  8. Web site: Jonathan's Space Report No. 331 . 2010-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090808182635/http://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.331 . 2009-08-08 . dead .