The role of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is by no means diminishing and it will remain the bedrock of India’s space sector, Pawan Goenka, chairperson of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), said on Sunday.
IN-SPACe, an autonomous agency under the Department of Space, promotes, enables, authorises and supervises various space activities of non-governmental entities.
In a post on X, Goenka said, “The reforms since 2020 are about expanding India’s overall space ecosystem. The idea is to let industry increasingly manufacture and scale mature launch vehicles, satellites and other systems.” Meanwhile, the ISRO will focus on advanced research and development, scientific missions, strategic missions, new technologies and infrastructure that is too complex for the private sector to develop on its own, he added.
Goenka’s comments came after nine employee associations at the ISRO wrote to the space agency’s chairperson, V Narayanan, seeking an official clarification on the proposed transfer of its manufacturing and operational functions to private entities.
In a letter dated September 4, the employee associations pointed to Goenka’s August 21 remarks. At a public event, Goenka had reportedly said that eventually, the ISRO would not manufacture any launch vehicles and the private sector or public sector undertakings (PSUs) would do so.
The employee associations claimed that these remarks were not accompanied by any corresponding official communication from the Department of Space, explaining the approved policy, its legal and administrative basis, its phasing or its consequences for the existing workforce and future public recruitment.
“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.
Earlier in the day, in another post on X, Goenka said the ISRO and private companies would have to work together to ensure that India reaches its target of 50 launches a year by 2030.
“A goal of this scale cannot be achieved by one organisation alone,” he said.
The IN-SPACe chairperson also highlighted that the ISRO’s research would continue to push the frontiers of what is possible.
“Private industry must translate that momentum into manufacturing at scale: more rockets, more satellites, more launch capacity and new technologies,” he added.
