Digantara inks pact with Singapore's defence arm to protect satellites from space debris

Indias space startup Digantara Industries has joined hands with Singapores defence arm to develop tools to protect their national satellites from collision with space debris. According to the agreement, Digantara and Singapores Defence Science and Technology Agency DSTA will co-develop tools in the area of Space Situational Awareness SSA in support of the National Space Agency of Singapore.

India's space startup Digantara Industries has joined hands with Singapore's defence arm to develop tools to protect their national satellites from collision with space debris. Bengaluru-based Digantara Industries claimed it was the first time that the defence arm of Singapore was signing an agreement with an Indian space-tech company. According to the agreement, Digantara and Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) will co-develop tools in the area of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) in support of the National Space Agency of Singapore. ''The most important thing is that we provide them sovereign control to the solutions we build for them, which means the Singapore government can locally deploy and use our solutions to achieve their space domain awareness operations or needs that can be both for operations of satellites,'' Anirudh Sharma, founder and CEO at Digantara Industries, told PTI. The partnership was announced on the sidelines of the Space Summit 2026 in Singapore on Monday. Sharma said his company would provide services to the DSTA regarding flight dynamics, access to conjunction screening in case of a Singapore satellite approaching an orbiting piece of debris. ''This service of ours will help them get the alerts and do sustainable space operations without having to worry about collisions in space,'' Sharma said. The agreement also includes integrating Digantara's sensor data with AI-driven analytics. ''The Singapore government is very keen on exploring how we do space-based Space Situational Awareness and also being part of one of our upcoming missions where they'll be involved in assembly integration and testing of one of these space-based sensors that eventually will be part of Singapore's broader space strategy,'' Sharma said. Digantara views the opportunity in Singapore as a toehold to expand operations in the Asia-Pacific region, he said. ''Working with the Singapore government will also enable us to access other Asian markets like South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries. So, I think that is a good gateway for us to expand as a company to the broader Asia-Pacific,'' Sharma said. Leveraging Digantara's expertise in space and ground-based sensing infrastructure, both parties will focus on the development, testing and evaluation of software applications that enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of satellite tracking, a statement from Digantara said. ''The collaboration aims to provide a more comprehensive view of Singapore's satellites that supports the safety and long-term operability in an increasingly congested orbital environment,'' it said.

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