Digantara and ispace Join Hands to Map Moon’s Orbit and Tackle Space Debris

Bengaluru-based spacetech startup Digantara has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Japanese lunar exploration firm ispace, inc. to develop a comprehensive map of the moon’s orbit, aimed at monitoring space debris in the cislunar region—the space between Earth and the moon.

The collaboration, formalized during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tokyo for the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, seeks to establish a cislunar situational awareness and domain infrastructure, critical for safe lunar exploration. This initiative builds on India’s Chandrayaan missions and the upcoming ISRO-JAXA Lunar Polar Exploration (LuPEX) mission, marking a significant step in Asia’s commercial space ambitions.

The partnership leverages Digantara’s expertise in space situational awareness, demonstrated by its recent launch of the world’s first commercial space surveillance satellite capable of tracking objects as small as 5 centimeters in Earth’s orbit, with ispace’s advanced lunar landing technology. The joint mission aims to create a sustainable lunar ecosystem by enabling safe operations, resource utilization, and long-term infrastructure development.

Anirudh Sharma, CEO of Digantara, emphasized the collaboration’s importance, stating, “We are excited to complement ispace’s proven capabilities with our expertise in space domain awareness, laying the foundation for a sustainable lunar ecosystem.” Takeshi Hakamada, ispace’s Founder and CEO, added that the partnership aligns with the QUAD framework, promoting cooperative and transparent lunar exploration.

The initiative addresses growing concerns about space debris in the cislunar region, highlighted by the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter’s need for multiple collision avoidance maneuvers. By mapping the lunar orbit, the collaboration aims to ensure the safety of future missions, supporting logistics and resource utilization critical for sustained human presence on the moon.

This large-scale commercial tie-up between Indian and Japanese startups signals a new era of cross-border innovation, positioning Asia as a leader in lunar exploration and space sustainability.

Also Read: Double Tragedy: Man Killed by Georgia Police, Woman Dead in House Fire

Also Read: Trump’s Visa Crackdown Targets Iran, Brazil, and More at UN General Assembly