Peak XV Partners backs India's Digantara to propel space situational awareness
Summary
Digantara strives to solve this problem using its infrastructure backed by a constellation of satellites and software.Founded in December 2018 by Indian engineers Anirudh Sharma, Rahul Rawat and Tanveer Ahmed, the Bengaluru-based startup is developing an end-to-end solution called Space-Mission Assurance Platform or Space-MAP to address the difficulties of space operations and situational awareness. Its more of an immersive experience that were providing with our software platform to users, the co-founder said.The startup will offer three modules: one for defense with functions such as volumetric screening and satellite behavior pattern analysis, the second for commercial customers with a machine design service, and the third for insurance with risk reports for each orbit and risk determination.Sharma told TechCrunch that insurance would become crucial in the space industry as the number of satellites grows. Digantaras platform will help insurance companies better understand the risks in such cases, he believes.Space agencies in the U.S., Europe and Russia have had their own space situational awareness programs for some time to monitor objects in orbit and forecast their movements. He pointed out that most of these existing players use ground-based radars and telescopes to track space objects and have a standard process to offer analytics through software.Digantara takes a different approach by incorporating sensor and data fusion. The startup also plans to work with the U.K. government.Recently, Digantara expanded its presence to Singapore and established Indias first commercial space situational awareness optical observatory in the northern state of Uttarakhand.