Digantara, a Bangalore-based Indian start-up, has successfully commissioned the world's first commercial space surveillance satellite, named SCOT (Space Camera for Object Tracking). This satellite was launched on January 14, 2025, aboard SpaceX's Transporter-12 rocket and began operations on March 9, 2025.

SCOT's inaugural image captured a breath taking view of Earth's limb with the city of Buenos Aires glowing against the planet's curvature while passing over South America.

SCOT is designed to track and monitor objects as small as 5 centimetres in orbit around Earth, providing a high revisit rate for frequent and precise observations of orbital activity.

“SCOT’s first image is more than a technical milestone, it’s a symbol of our team’s resilience and unwavering commitment to safeguarding Earth’s orbits for generations to come,” said Digantara CEO Anirudh Sharma.

The satellite operates in a sun-synchronous orbit, allowing it to track objects in Low Earth Orbit more efficiently than existing sensors, which are often limited by fields of view, weather conditions, and geographic constraints.

This capability is crucial for mitigating collision risks and promoting sustainable space operations by providing accurate and dependable data to satellite operators and regulatory bodies, especially as space becomes increasingly congested.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Digantara on the success of Mission SCOT, noting its contribution to enhancing space situational awareness in the Indian space industry.

Former ISRO Chairman S Somanath praised Digantara for demonstrating India's own space-based situational awareness capability with SCOT-1.

Agencies