A New Focus On Space Security
Operation Sindoor changed more than India’s thinking about conventional military operations and border security. It also highlighted how important space-based intelligence, surveillance, and tracking capabilities have become for modern defence planning. Indian defence agencies are now paying closer attention to satellites, orbital movements, sensors, and the huge amount of information generated above Earth. This shift is creating fresh opportunities for Indian space technology companies, especially startups building systems around artificial intelligence and space situational awareness.
One company receiving growing attention is Bengaluru-based Digantara, which has been developing technology for monitoring objects moving through space. Its work goes beyond simply taking pictures from orbit. The startup focuses on identifying and tracking satellites, debris, and other fast-moving objects, helping users understand what is happening around strategically important spacecraft. Its technology is increasingly relevant as governments and defence organisations look for more independent sources of space intelligence.
Why Orbital Monitoring Matters More
Space has quietly become one of the most important parts of modern military planning. Satellites can support communications, navigation, intelligence gathering, weather monitoring, and battlefield awareness, making their protection increasingly important for national security. When military activity increases, understanding which satellites are watching particular regions can become valuable information for planners and intelligence agencies.
This is where space situational awareness becomes especially important for India. The basic idea involves knowing what objects are present in orbit, where those objects are moving, and whether their behaviour appears unusual. Traditional tracking methods can generate enormous quantities of information, but analysing everything manually becomes difficult when the number of satellites and orbital objects keeps increasing. Artificial intelligence can potentially help process that information faster and identify patterns that deserve closer attention.
Recent developments involving Digantara show how this technology is moving toward practical defence applications. The company has developed the Space Camera for Object Tracking, commonly known as SCOT, which is designed to track objects from space. Reports say the system can track objects at resolutions of up to five centimetres, compared with an industry standard of around ten centimetres.
Digantara Builds A Different Capability
Digantara started by concentrating heavily on space domain awareness, but the company has gradually expanded the potential applications of its technology. According to its founder Anirudh Sharma, the same underlying architecture can also support missile detection and tracking because both tasks involve monitoring fast-moving objects and understanding their trajectories. That broader use case has become increasingly important as defence organisations look for technologies that can operate across multiple security requirements.
The startup’s approach is interesting because it combines hardware with software instead of treating satellites as standalone equipment. Its surveillance capabilities can collect information, while software can help process and interpret that information for users. This full-stack approach is becoming more attractive to defence customers that want greater control over sensitive data and systems rather than depending entirely on external platforms.
A report from Mint noted that Indian defence startups have increasingly been moving from hardware-focused products toward deeper software capabilities. Digantara was among the space-surveillance companies highlighted in that shift. The company has said defence and intelligence customers increasingly want interconnected systems and direct control over the software layer during crisis situations.
Operation Sindoor Accelerated Demand
The defence technology industry saw stronger attention after Operation Sindoor, and space surveillance has been part of that broader change. Digantara reported growing Indian demand following the operation, with defence, aerospace, and space-related orders increasing as national security requirements became more urgent. India became the company’s largest revenue-generating market, according to reporting published by The Economic Times.
This does not mean that one operation suddenly created India’s entire space-security strategy. The country had already been developing military space capabilities, private space technology, and satellite-based surveillance for years. Operation Sindoor appears to have strengthened the urgency around those existing efforts and made the value of real-time intelligence more visible.
The government has also been encouraging greater private-sector participation in defence and space technologies. India’s defence innovation ecosystem includes programmes designed to help startups develop indigenous systems and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers. Private companies are increasingly working on satellites, surveillance platforms, drones, propulsion systems, and data analytics.
AI Could Change Surveillance Operations
Artificial intelligence becomes useful when surveillance systems generate more information than human teams can comfortably analyse. A modern space monitoring network can continuously collect orbital measurements, imagery, sensor information, and movement patterns from different sources. Software can then help organise this information and highlight unusual behaviour for analysts.
That does not mean artificial intelligence automatically replaces human decision-making. In defence environments, accuracy and reliability remain extremely important because incorrect conclusions can have serious consequences. AI systems are therefore more useful when they support trained operators by reducing repetitive analysis and helping them focus attention on important events.
India is already moving toward wider AI integration across defence networks. Modernisation plans for the Integrated Air Command and Control System include artificial intelligence for threat evaluation and prioritisation, along with sensor fusion and improved connectivity between surveillance systems and weapons.
The broader direction is becoming clearer across military technology. Sensors collect information, networks move that information, software interprets it, and commanders use the resulting picture for decisions. Space surveillance can become another important layer within this larger architecture.
More Satellites Are Joining The Picture
India’s growing space-security ambitions are not limited to one startup or one satellite. Reports have pointed toward a wider expansion of space-based surveillance capabilities, including plans involving dozens of new satellites and improved radar-based observation. Such systems could help reduce monitoring gaps and provide more persistent coverage under different weather and lighting conditions.
Private companies are also becoming increasingly important within this ecosystem. GalaxEye is developing high-resolution Earth observation capabilities, while other Indian startups are working on satellite imaging, space communications, propulsion, and data processing. This growing variety means India is slowly building a wider domestic space technology supply chain rather than depending on only a handful of established organisations.
The Space-Based Surveillance programme is another important development in this direction. Defence-related reporting has highlighted private companies participating in efforts to develop additional surveillance satellites, showing how the Indian government increasingly sees commercial space companies as potential contributors to national security capabilities.
India Wants More Independent Intelligence
One major reason behind this growing interest is technological independence. Defence planners increasingly want sensitive intelligence systems that can be controlled domestically, particularly during periods of heightened tension. Depending heavily on foreign imagery or external data providers can create limitations when information is needed quickly or under difficult circumstances.
Domestic space surveillance companies can potentially provide more control over how data is collected, processed, stored, and delivered. That advantage becomes more significant when the information concerns military infrastructure, strategic assets, or unusual activity around national borders.
There is also an economic opportunity here for India’s startup ecosystem. Defence technology traditionally involved large government organisations and established manufacturers, but newer companies are entering specialised areas where software, artificial intelligence, sensors, and advanced computing matter just as much as physical equipment.
The Road Ahead Looks More Networked
India’s future defence architecture is likely to depend increasingly on connected systems rather than isolated platforms. Radar networks, satellites, drones, aircraft, command systems, and artificial intelligence can provide a much broader picture when their information is combined properly. Recent modernisation efforts indicate that sensor fusion and network connectivity are becoming major priorities for Indian defence planning.
For companies such as Digantara, that creates a potentially large opportunity. Space surveillance is no longer only about tracking harmless orbital debris or protecting commercial satellites. The same technologies can contribute to broader national security requirements, including monitoring strategic objects and supporting early warning systems.
Still, building a reliable surveillance network is not simply about launching more satellites. India will need strong ground infrastructure, secure communications, accurate sensors, advanced analytics, trained personnel, and systems capable of operating during disruptions. Cybersecurity will also remain important because connected defence networks can become attractive targets for hostile actors.
Conclusion
Operation Sindoor has added urgency to India’s wider push for stronger indigenous defence and space technologies. Startups such as Digantara show how private companies can contribute specialised capabilities to this changing environment, particularly through space situational awareness, advanced tracking, and software-driven analysis. AI can help turn massive streams of surveillance information into something defence teams can understand and act upon more quickly. The bigger story, however, is the creation of a connected Indian security ecosystem where satellites, sensors, software, and human expertise work together. As India expands its space and defence ambitions, domestic innovation will likely become increasingly important.
