Uttarakhand: Observatory to monitor space activity

August 23, 2022

India’s first commercial space observatory will be set up in the Garhwal division of Uttarakhand. Digantara, a startup started in the field of space, will build this laboratory.

Key Points

This observatory will monitor the 10 cm size of microscopic particles moving in the space around the Earth. This space situational awareness observatory will help in monitoring space waste and military satellites hovering in space around the Earth.

With these data, it will be able to reduce the risk of collisions between satellites and other spacecraft by more accurately predicting their location, speed and trajectory.

This observatory will also give India indigenous capability to monitor space activity on the subcontinent. For example, if Chinese satellites are observed over a particular area of India for a long period of time, it is an advantage for India to have indigenous capability without relying on countries like the US to monitor these activities.

So far, only America is ahead in keeping such surveillance. In many places in the world, such observatories are being operated only by commercial companies of America.

Digantara

Its full name is Digantara Research and Technology Private Limited. Launched in December 2018, the main focus of the startup is to track the waste being collected due to satellites in space and find solutions. Its headquarter is in Jalandhar, Punjab.

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