Pinugay Earth Station
Satellite station in Rizal, Philippines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Philippine Space Communications Center[1] or the Pinugay Earth Station is a satellite earth station in Baras, Rizal, Philippines under the Philippine Communications Satellite Corporation (Philcomsat).
14°35′04.4″N 121°17′37.0″E
| Established | 1967 |
|---|---|
| Research type | Satellite ground station |
| Location | Baras, Rizal, Philippines 14°35′04.4″N 121°17′37.0″E |
Operating agency | Philippine Communications Satellite Corporation |
History
The Philippine government had a joint project with the Philippine Communications Satellite Corporation (Philcomsat) to build a ground station.[2] The provisional earth station was established in barangay Pinugay in Baras, Rizal in 1967.[3][4]
In May 1968, President Ferdinand Marcos formally inaugurated a permanent earth station in Rizal.[2][3] The first standard "A" antenna, Pinugay I was set up.[4]
The station enabled people based in Asia to watch the broadcast of the Apollo 11 launch in 1969.[3]
From 1971 to 1983, Pinugay II, Pinugay III and a standard "B" antenna was set up.[4]
On April 30, 1982, Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1845 declaring an 3-kilometer (1.9 mi) security zone around the site. [5][6]
The now outdated Pinugay I was superseded by Pinugay IV in 1989.[4][7]
Despite the declaration the area has been occupied by farmers and in 1992, the Department of Agriculture declared the Pinugay area as under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). A land dispute arises which persisted at least the early 2000s.[6][8]