Digantara Commissions SCOT Satellite

India’s Digantara, a private space surveillance and intelligence company commissioned on 8th March the world’s first commercial space based space surveillance satellite SCOT (Space Camera for Object Tracking). The satellite was launched on 14th January 2025 aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission.

According to Digantara, SCOT is designed to track and monitor objects as small as 5 cm, with a high revisit rate for frequent, precise observations of orbital activity. As space becomes increasingly congested, this capability is essential for mitigating collision risks and promoting sustainable space operations by providing accurate and dependable data to satellite operators and regulatory bodies. Industry estimates put the global space surveillance and intelligence or space situational awareness market at about $60 billion.

SCOT first light over South America

The satellite was successfully commissioned, achieving first light on 8th March 2025. SCOT captured its inaugural image while passing over South America — a breathtaking view of Earth’s limb, with the city of Buenos Aires glowing against the planet’s curvature.

“The future of space situational awareness is not just something we envision — it’s something we  have built. SCOT’s first image is more than a technical milestone; it is a symbol of our team’s resilience and unwavering commitment to safeguarding Earth’s orbits for generations to come,” commented CEO Anirudh Sharma.

Through its unified platform, the company equips end-users with actionable intelligence, integrating critical data for on time decision making.

The Indian company recently announced its investment of over $1 million to date and will further invest between $10 – $15 million over the next six to eight months to set up a dedicated facility for spacecraft manufacturing and space optics production in Colorado, US.

By combining ArianeGroup’s Helix optical ground-based sensor network with Digantara’s advanced ground and space-based sensor network, there will be a multi-modal data pool for Space Situational awareness.