.jpg)
What started as a college project in 2018 has grown into one of India's ambitious SpaceTech startups.
Anirudh Sharma, Rahul Rawat and Tanveer Ahmed began working on satellite-related technology as students. They eventually identified a much larger problem: as the number of satellites and objects in orbit increases, governments and satellite operators need better ways to track, monitor and understand what is happening in space.
That idea became Digantara, a Bengaluru-based space intelligence company developing technologies for space situational awareness, orbital surveillance and defence applications.
In December 2025, Digantara raised $50 million (approximately ₹435 crore) in a Series B round led by Reliance Industries. The funding valued the company at approximately $200 million, or around ₹1,740 crore.
Key Highlights
Founded by Anirudh Sharma, Rahul Rawat and Tanveer Ahmed.
Started from work undertaken while the founders were students.
Focuses on space situational awareness and space intelligence.
Builds technology to track satellites, debris and other objects in orbit.
Developed SCOT, its space-based object-tracking satellite.
Raised $50 million (₹435 crore) in its Series B round.
Series B valued the company at approximately $200 million (₹1,740 crore).
Total funding raised has reached roughly $64.5 million according to TechCrunch.
Expanded operations across India, Singapore and the United States.
Is moving beyond satellite tracking into missile detection and defence intelligence.
What Problem Is Digantara Solving?
Space is becoming increasingly crowded.
Thousands of satellites, rocket bodies and pieces of space debris are moving around Earth. Knowing where these objects are—and predicting how they will move—is critical for satellite operators, governments and defence organisations.
Digantara is building infrastructure that combines space-based sensors, ground-based sensors, data processing and AI-driven analytics to turn orbital data into actionable intelligence. Its core intelligence platform, AIRA, is designed to process large volumes of space-surveillance data and support real-time tracking and analysis.
The company's technology is designed for applications including
Satellite tracking
Space debris monitoring
Object detection
Orbital intelligence
Collision-risk analysis
Missile detection
Defence and national-security applications
From Student Project to SpaceTech Company
The founders started working on satellite technology while they were students.
Instead of building another conventional software startup, they entered one of the most technically demanding industries in the world: space infrastructure.
The early focus was space situational awareness—understanding and tracking objects around Earth.
Over time, Digantara moved from developing individual technologies toward building a broader end-to-end space intelligence infrastructure.
Its current platform combines hardware, sensors, data and analytics rather than relying entirely on external datasets.
SCOT: Taking Space Surveillance Into Orbit
One of Digantara's major milestones was the development of SCOT — Space Camera for Object Tracking.
SCOT was launched in January 2025 aboard SpaceX's Transporter-12 mission. The satellite was designed to observe objects from space and improve the ability to track objects in orbit.
According to Economic Times, Digantara's space camera can track objects at resolutions of up to 5 centimetres, compared with an industry standard of around 10 centimetres.
This represents an important shift for the company
Instead of only analysing space from Earth, Digantara is putting its own sensing infrastructure into space.
Funding & Valuation
Digantara's biggest funding milestone came with its $50 million Series B round.
The round was led by Reliance Industries and included participation from investors such as 360 ONE Asset, SBI Investment of Japan, Ronnie Screwvala, Peak XV Partners and Kalaari Capital.
The round valued Digantara at approximately
$200 million ≈ ₹1,740 crore
The funding is being used to support international expansion, satellite manufacturing and the development of additional space
- and ground-based infrastructure.
TechCrunch reported that the latest round took Digantara's total capital raised to approximately $64.5 million.
Revenue & Growth
Digantara is still in an early commercial stage compared with traditional technology companies, with significant investment going into R&D, satellites and infrastructure.
The company has been expanding internationally, including operations in the United States and Singapore, while maintaining its core operations in India.
Its U.S. expansion is particularly important because the company is increasingly targeting government and defence customers.
TechCrunch reported that Digantara had already secured contracts with a combined value of approximately $25 million and was expanding its capabilities into missile detection and tracking.
The Strategic Pivot
Digantara's story is no longer only about tracking satellites.
The company is expanding into national security and missile-warning applications.
Its existing infrared sensing and space-surveillance capabilities can potentially be adapted for detecting and tracking missile-related threats.
This gives Digantara access to a much larger strategic market involving governments and defence organisations.
The company's current technology portfolio includes space-based and ground-based sensing systems, while AIRA acts as the intelligence layer connecting the data.
Why Digantara Has a Strong Moat
1. DeepTech Expertise
Building space-surveillance infrastructure requires specialised knowledge in aerospace engineering, sensors, orbital mechanics, data processing and AI.
This creates a significantly higher barrier to entry than a conventional software startup.
2. Hardware + Software Integration
Digantara isn't simply building an analytics dashboard.
It is developing sensors, satellites, ground infrastructure and intelligence software that work together.
3. Strategic Customers
Space surveillance has applications across commercial satellites, governments and defence organisations.
That gives Digantara opportunities beyond a single customer segment.
4. Global Opportunity
Space traffic is not limited to India.
Satellites operate globally, while governments increasingly need independent capabilities to monitor orbital activity.
Digantara is therefore building for a global market rather than only an Indian one.
Struggles & Challenges
SpaceTech is fundamentally different from most startup categories.
Building satellites requires significant capital, long development cycles, specialised talent and regulatory compliance.
Digantara also faces the challenge of operating across different countries where defence technology and sensitive hardware are subject to different regulatory requirements.
As the company expands into the U.S. defence market, it has structured parts of its operations geographically to meet national-security requirements.
The bigger challenge now is execution
Can Digantara turn expensive space infrastructure into a scalable commercial business?
Summary Takeaway
💡 **Key Takeaway:
- Digantara's story shows that some of India's biggest startup opportunities may exist in problems that are difficult, technical and slow to solve. What began as a college project around satellites evolved into a SpaceTech company valued at around ₹1,740 crore, backed by major investors and building its own space-surveillance infrastructure.
The lesson for founders is simple
Don't underestimate a college project if it solves a problem the world will eventually need to solve.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)