Enterprise technology now extends far beyond software and data centres. Space has become a critical layer of infrastructure. Anirudh Sharma, founder and CEO of Digantara Research and Technologies, is building tools to track what moves above the Earth.

At 26, Sharma leads one of India’s few private companies working on space situational awareness. Digantara focuses on monitoring objects in Earth’s orbit to improve safety, tracking and decision-making for satellite operators and governments.

The company reached a key milestone with the launch of its first satellite.

The SCOT Satellite Launch

In early 2025, Digantara launched its satellite named SCOT, short for Space Camera for Object Tracking. The satellite was part of SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch took place from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in the United States.

SCOT was one of 131 satellites onboard the mission. With this launch, Digantara joined a small global group of private firms building commercial systems to monitor space activity.

The company describes SCOT as one of the world’s first commercial satellites built solely for space situational awareness.

Why Space Situational Awareness Matters

Earth’s orbit is crowded. Thousands of active satellites share space with defunct satellites, fragments and debris. These are known as resident space objects.

Even small objects can cause damage at orbital speeds. Collisions can disrupt services such as navigation, weather tracking and communications.

Space situational awareness focuses on tracking these objects. It helps predict collisions and supports safe satellite operations.

Digantara’s SCOT satellite is designed to track objects with high frequency and precision. The goal is to provide accurate data that ground-based systems cannot always capture.

A Founder With an Unusual Path

Sharma’s path into space technology did not begin with aerospace studies. He often describes formal education as restrictive.

After school, he set up a small animation studio while preparing for engineering entrance exams. He later enrolled in an engineering college in Rajasthan. Instead of focusing on coursework, he built interactive digital installations that won awards.

In 2009, Sharma dropped out of college. He moved into commercial work after an internship opportunity with Hewlett Packard’s Imagine Group in Bengaluru.

From Wearable Tech to Global Recognition

In 2010, Sharma developed a product idea called Lechal. It was a shoe fitted with a vibration module that guided visually impaired users through haptic feedback.

The idea gained global attention. Sharma saw broader use cases and launched Ducere Technologies with his co-founder Krispian Lawrence.

Lechal won international recognition. In 2012, Sharma received the MIT TR35 Innovator of the Year award. The company grew from a two-person team to over 100 employees.

That success opened the next door.

Learning at MIT, Then Returning to India

Sharma received an offer to pursue a master’s degree at the MIT Media Lab. He joined in 2012 and focused on augmented reality and emerging technologies.

After completing his studies in 2015, he chose not to stay in the United States. Instead, he returned to India to set up a research lab.

His goal was clear. Use advanced research to solve real-world problems in India.

The lab brought together scientists, engineers, designers and artists. The team worked across disciplines rather than within fixed silos. One of their projects involved converting air pollution into industrial-grade ink.

This approach shaped Sharma’s thinking about deep technology and systems-level problems.

Founding Digantara

Digantara grew out of this mindset. Sharma saw space as a critical domain with growing risk and limited data access.

Governments had tracking systems, but commercial operators relied on delayed or incomplete data. Sharma believed private companies could build faster and more focused solutions.

Digantara was set up to provide independent tracking and intelligence for space objects. The company works on sensors, data processing and orbital analytics.

The launch of SCOT marked the first step in deploying its own space-based observation network.

What Comes Next

Digantara plans to launch more satellites over time. Each satellite will add coverage and improve tracking accuracy.

The company aims to serve satellite operators, insurers and defence agencies. The data helps assess collision risk and manage satellite fleets.

As low-Earth orbit becomes more crowded, demand for such services is expected to grow.

A Long-Term View of Innovation

Sharma’s work has often crossed fields. From wearable tech to space surveillance, the focus stays on systems that affect daily life.

Design consultant Niyam Bhushan, who has mentored Sharma since 2009, says Sharma thinks beyond single products. He compares his approach to builders who work at the intersection of science and design.

Sharma does not frame his work as disruption. He frames it as problem-solving.

Space as Enterprise Infrastructure

Space no longer sits apart from enterprise technology. Navigation, climate data and communications depend on satellites. Protecting these assets has become essential.

Digantara’s work fits into this shift. By tracking what moves in orbit, the company supports services people use on the ground.

For Sharma, space is not distant. It is part of modern infrastructure.

As Digantara builds its satellite network, the challenge will be scale, accuracy and trust. The SCOT launch shows the company’s intent.

From dropped-out student to space entrepreneur, Sharma’s path reflects a clear pattern. He looks for complex problems and builds tools to observe them better.

FAQs

Q1. Who is Anirudh Sharma?
Anirudh Sharma is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Digantara Research and Technologies.

Q2. What is Digantara?
Digantara is a space technology company focused on space situational awareness and object tracking in Earth’s orbit.

Q3. What is the SCOT satellite?
SCOT stands for Space Camera for Object Tracking. It is a commercial satellite designed to track objects in space.

Q4. Why is space situational awareness important?
It helps track satellites and debris to prevent collisions and protect space-based infrastructure.