ISRO's Role 'By No Means Diminishing': Space Agency, Pawan Goenka Address Staff's Privatisation Concerns

(MENAFN- Live Mint) IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka on Sunday dismissed suggestions that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) could see its significance reduced, saying the space agency would continue to serve as the foundation of India's space programme.

ISRO said that claims suggesting an attempt to privatise the space agency or reduce its role are entirely baseless and incorrect.

Goenka wrote on X, "There has been some misleading narrative in the media around the future role of ISRO. Let me say it unequivocally: ISRO's role is by no means diminishing. It will remain the bedrock of Indian space sector."

He said the space-sector reforms initiated in 2020 were designed to broaden India's space ecosystem rather than diminish ISRO's role. Under the new framework, IN-SPACe is responsible for enabling and approving greater involvement by private and other non-government players, while NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) focuses on taking established space technologies and capabilities to the commercial market.

The reforms are intended to enable private industry to take on the manufacturing and large-scale production of established launch vehicles, satellites and other space systems, he said.

This would allow ISRO to concentrate on areas where it has specialised expertise, including cutting-edge research and development, scientific and strategic missions, emerging technologies and highly complex infrastructure that private companies may not be able to develop independently, Goenka further said.

Also Read | ISRO Launches India's First-Ever Geo-Imaging Satellite GSLV EOS-05

He mentioned that ISRO would continue to play a central role in India's space programme by spearheading advanced research and major national missions planned for the coming years. These include the Bharatiya Antariksh Station targeted for 2035, an Indian human mission to the Moon by 2040, next-generation launch vehicles and continued exploration of the Moon and other planets.

"The direction is not a smaller ISRO. It is a larger Indian space ecosystem, with ISRO pushing the technological frontier," he added.

What did ISRO say?

“ISRO will continue to remain India's principal institution for advanced space research and technology development, national and strategic missions, space science and exploration, and critical and frontier space capabilities,” the space agency said on X.

Also Read | ISRO achieves its first major success this year with GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission

It added,“Participation of private sector in space is not about reducing ISRO's role. It is about enabling ISRO to focus even more strongly on the next generation of India's space programme, while industry scales mature technologies and capabilities. What is changing is not the importance of ISRO, but the scale and structure of India's space ecosystem.”

ISRO staff bodies' concerns

Nine employee associations of the ISRO approached Chairman V Narayanan, seeking an official explanation over reports that some of the agency's manufacturing and operational responsibilities could be handed over to private companies.

In their September 4 letter, the associations questioned what such a move would mean for ISRO's future mandate, its existing workforce and recruitment in the years ahead.

Also Read | NASA invites ISRO to join its Moon Base program under Artemis Accords

"Private participation in defined commercial activities can coexist with a strong, publicly-owned ISRO. What cannot be accepted without debate is a policy that reduces ISRO to a residual R&D (research and development) boutique, while the realisation of the nation's launch vehicles and the operation of its launch infrastructure pass out of public hands," the letter stated, according to PTI.

The associations referred to remarks made by Goenka on August 21. The organisation is tasked with promoting, enabling, authorising and overseeing space-related activities undertaken by non-government entities.

Speaking at a public event, Goenka reportedly said, "Eventually, ISRO will not make any launch vehicles and not manufacture any launch vehicles. That will all be done by the private sector or PSUs."

The employee bodies said no formal communication had been issued by the Department of Space alongside these remarks to explain the policy being considered, its legal and administrative framework, implementation timeline or potential impact on current staff and future hiring.

"Technology developed by ISRO is a national asset. Its transfer must be transparent, accountable and consistent with strategic, safety and employment considerations -- not presented to employees through newspaper reports," the letter said.

IN-SPACe chief highlights space sector growth, says India targets 50 launches annually by 2030

In a separate post on X, Goenka pointed to the expansion of India's space sector since the reforms were launched five years ago. He said the changes were intended to help ISRO pursue advanced space capabilities while giving private companies greater scope to expand their operations.

"Five years ago, when India opened up its space sector, we had two clear objectives: enable ISRO to conquer new frontiers and empower our private industry to scale up. Today, we are seeing both take shape," Goenka said. He cited ISRO's EOS-05 mission as a "major achievement" and described it as "just the beginning". "At the same time, from barely a handful of space startups five years ago, India today has over 450. Indian private industry has already flown a rocket to orbit," he said.

Goenka said the focus now needs to shift towards expanding the sector's capacity, with India aiming to conduct 50 launches every year by 2030. "A goal of this scale cannot be achieved by one organisation alone. Government and private industry have to build this future together," he said.

He said ISRO would continue advancing the technological frontiers through research, while private companies would be expected to translate those advances into mass production of rockets and satellites, greater launch capacity and the development of new technologies.

"That is how we will build a complete space ecosystem and create the capacity to match our ambition. The opportunity before us is immense: build in India, launch from India and serve the world from India. We are well on our way to taking India's space sector to a new orbit, figuratively and literally," he concluded.

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