ISRO’s role is ‘not diminishing in any way’: Space agency, Pawan Goenka addresses staff concerns over privatization | Today’s news

IN-SPACE Chairman Pawan Goenka on Sunday dismissed suggestions that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) may be downgraded, saying the space agency will continue to serve as the backbone of India’s space programme.

ISRO said that claims suggesting an attempt to privatize the space agency or curtail its role are completely baseless and incorrect.

Goenka wrote on X: “There has been some misleading narrative in the media about the future role of ISRO. Let me say this unequivocally: ISRO’s role is not diminishing in any way. It will remain the backbone of India’s space sector.”

He said the space sector reforms launched in 2020 were designed to expand India’s space ecosystem rather than diminish ISRO’s role. Under the new framework, IN-SPACE is responsible for enabling and enabling greater involvement of private and other non-governmental players, while NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) focuses on bringing established space technologies and capabilities to the commercial market.

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

This would allow ISRO to focus on areas where it has specialized 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 on their own, Goenka further said.

Read also | ISRO launches India’s first ever geographic imaging satellite GSLV EOS-05

He mentioned that ISRO will continue to play a central role in India’s space program by spearheading advanced research and major national missions planned for the coming years. These include the Bharatiya Antariksh station targeted for 2035, India’s manned 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 technology frontier,” he added.

What did ISRO say?

“ISRO will continue to be India’s premier 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 at the X.

Read also | ISRO achieved its first major success this year with the GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission

He added: “Private sector participation in space is not about diminishing ISRO’s role. It is about enabling ISRO to focus even more on the next generation of India’s space program as industry scales advanced technologies and capabilities. It is not the importance of ISRO that is changing, but the scale and structure of India’s space ecosystem.”

concerns of ISRO employees

Nine ISRO employee associations have approached chairman V Narayanan seeking an official clarification on reports that some of the agency’s production and operational responsibilities could be handed over to private companies.

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

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

“Private participation in defined commercial activities can co-exist 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 implementation of the nation’s launch vehicles and operation of its launch infrastructure is taken out of public hands,” the letter said, according to PTI.

The associations referred to Goenka’s August 21 remarks. The organization is tasked with supporting, enabling, approving and overseeing space-related activities carried out by non-governmental entities.

At a public event, Goenka reportedly said, “In the end, ISRO will not make any launch vehicles and will not make any launch vehicles. All this will be done by the private sector or PSUs.”

Staff officials said the space ministry has not issued any formal communication in addition to the memos to explain the policy under consideration, its legal and administrative framework, implementation schedule or potential impact on current employees and future hires.

“Technology developed by ISRO is national property. Its transfer must be transparent, accountable and consistent with strategic, security and personnel considerations – not presented to employees through news reports,” the letter said.

IN-SPACE chief highlights growth of space sector, says India plans 50 launches per year by 2030

In a separate post on X, Goenka pointed to the expansion of India’s space sector since reforms began five years ago. He said the changes are meant to help ISRO pursue advanced space capabilities while giving private companies more room to expand their operations.

“Five years ago, when India opened up its space sector, we had two clear goals: to enable ISRO to conquer new frontiers and to empower our private industry to grow. Today we see both taking 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 has over 450 today. Indian private industry has already rocketed into orbit,” he said.

Goenka said the focus must now shift towards expanding the capacity of the sector, with India aiming to conduct 50 launches every year by 2030. “A target of this magnitude cannot be achieved by just one organisation. The government and private industry must build this future together,” he said.

He said ISRO will continue to push technological frontiers through research, while private companies are expected to translate these advances into mass production of rockets and satellites, greater launch capacity and development of new technologies.

“This is how we will build a complete space ecosystem and create a capacity that matches our ambitions. The opportunity before us is huge: build in India, launch from India and serve the world from India. We are well on our way to put India’s space sector on a new trajectory, figuratively and literally,” he concluded.