The archive · Space, Robots, Defence · Strategic decision · 2018–2026
Digantara's space-surveillance bet: SCOT in orbit, $50M Reliance round at ~$200M
Digantara bet satellites in space could track debris and missiles better than ground radars: SCOT launched Jan 2025, then a $50M Reliance-led round.
Digantara
What the business is
Digantara is a space situational awareness (SSA) company: it tracks debris, satellites and other objects from its own space-based sensors and sells data, analytics and risk intelligence to governments and satellite operators.
Starting capital：First grant ₹15 lakh from IISc; $2.5M seed from Kalaari (2021), $10M Series A1 led by Peak XV (2023), $50M Series B led by Reliance at ~$200M valuation (Dec 2025).
How it started
Founded in December 2018 by engineering students Anirudh Sharma, Rahul Rawat and Tanveer Ahmed, Digantara began as a research project that won an IISc grant and a patent, then commercialized space hardware for its first revenue. Its pitch was a 'Google Maps for space': with only about 4% of space objects tracked, crowdsourced data could power space situational awareness for governments and operators.
What happened
Peak XV's $10M Series A1 (June 2023, its first space-tech investment) funded the Space-Mission Assurance Platform and an eight-satellite low-Earth-orbit plan. SCOT, the Space Camera for Object Tracking, launched on SpaceX's Transporter-12 on Jan 15, 2025 as one of the world's first commercial SSA satellites. Defence contracts — including selection for the US Golden Dome programme — followed, and revenue grew multifold.
How it ended up
In Dec 2025 Digantara raised a $50M Series B led by Reliance Industries at about a $200M valuation (Peak XV and Kalaari doubled down) to launch 15 more satellites through 2026-27, build a Colorado Springs facility for larger platforms, and target $25-30M revenue by end-2026.
Background
Digantara is a Bengaluru space situational awareness (SSA) company: it tracks debris, satellites and other objects from space itself and sells analytics and risk intelligence to governments and satellite operators. The bet was that space-based cameras plus crowdsourced data fusion could beat ground-radar incumbents like LeoLabs, Slingshot Aerospace and ExoAnalytic Solutions.
Founded in December 2018 by engineering students Anirudh Sharma, Rahul Rawat and Tanveer Ahmed, it won an IISc grant and a patent, sold space hardware for its first revenue, and raised $2.5M from Kalaari (2021) and $10M from Peak XV (2023). The Peak XV round funded Space-MAP, its 'Google Maps for space' platform, and an eight-satellite low-Earth-orbit plan.
SCOT, its Space Camera for Object Tracking, launched on SpaceX's Transporter-12 on January 15, 2025 as one of the world's first commercial SSA satellites, tracking objects as small as 5 cm. Defence contracts — including selection for the US Golden Dome programme — followed, and revenue grew multifold.
In December 2025, Reliance Industries led a $50M Series B valuing Digantara at about $200M, with Peak XV and Kalaari doubling down. The funds pay for 15 more satellites through 2026-27, a Colorado Springs manufacturing facility for larger platforms, and a $25-30M revenue target by end-2026.
What has to be true
- Only about 4% of space objects were tracked when Digantara started, leaving an obvious gap incumbents were slow to fill.
- Space-based sensors sidestep ground radars' weather, geography and field-of-view limits — a structural edge, not just a lower price.
- Crowdsourced data fusion created a defensible platform ('Google Maps for space'), not a one-off telescope.
- Early credibility — patent, IISc backing, SCOT in orbit — is what won defence customers and Reliance as an anchor.
What can be applied
When incumbents are locked to one sensor type, move the sensor: space-based cameras out-resolved ground radars, and first-mover credibility turned into defence contracts and a Reliance round.
Aftermath
As of January 2026, Digantara has three satellites in orbit, a $50M Series B led by Reliance at about a $200M valuation, and plans to launch 15 more satellites through 2026-27 from Bengaluru (manufacturing up to 30 small satellites a year) and a new Colorado Springs facility for 100-150 kg platforms. It targets $25-30M revenue by end-2026 on defence contracts and expects to expand into Europe by mid-2026.
Sources
- [Tech50] Google Map for space: How spacetech startup Digantara is developing space traffic management
- Peak XV Partners backs India's Digantara to propel space situational awareness
- Space tech startup Digantara launches SCOT satellite on SpaceX's Transporter-12 Mission
- Digantara to use $50 million funding to launch 15 satellites, expand globally
- Reliance leads $50 million round in spacetech startup Digantara at $200 million valuation
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