India's first observatory to be set up in Uttarakhand to monitor space activity

Tags: Science and Technology

India's first commercial space observatory will be built in the Garhwal division of Uttarakhand by Digantara, a startup started in the field of space.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• It will also be able to keep an eye on an object as small as 10 cm orbiting the Earth.

• With the help of this observatory, scientists will be able to keep an eye on every movement of deep space. In particular, monitoring of deep activity in geostationary, middle-Earth and high-Earth orbits will be possible.

• 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.

• With the help of the information received from this observatory, collisions between satellites and other spacecraft can be avoided. A more accurate estimate can be made about their location, speed and trajectory.

• At present, the US dominates the region. It has the most such observatories to monitor space activities. Its observatories are stationed at various places and commercial companies provide inputs for them from all over the world.

Startup Digantara :

• Its full name is Digantara Research and Technology Private Limited.

• Launched in December 2018, the main focus of this startup is to track the waste being collected due to satellites in space and find solutions.

• Its headquarter is in Jalandhar, Punjab.