ISRO Will Remain a Key National Institution, No Privatisation Planned

NEW DELHI, Sept 6: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday clarified that there is no move to privatise the space agency or reduce its significance, while stressing that greater participation by private companies will help strengthen India’s overall space ecosystem.

In a post on X, ISRO said the growing involvement of the private sector would enable the organisation to concentrate on advanced areas of India’s space programme, while industry takes up the scaling and production of mature technologies.

The clarification followed a September 4 letter by nine employee associations to ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, seeking an official explanation over reports concerning the proposed transfer of certain manufacturing and operational activities to private companies and public sector undertakings.

The associations had raised concerns over remarks attributed to Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), at a public event on August 21.

ISRO said its responsibilities would increasingly focus on areas requiring specialised scientific and technological expertise. These include frontier research and development, advanced technologies, human spaceflight, next-generation launch vehicles, deep-space and planetary missions, and strategic national capabilities.

The organisation also underlined that it would continue developing advanced technologies and systems, including sophisticated communication, navigation and Earth-observation payloads, sensors, propulsion technologies and other critical capabilities.

At the same time, mature technologies that are already established and routinely manufactured could increasingly be produced at scale by industry or public sector undertakings through appropriate competitive mechanisms.

ISRO said such a division of responsibilities would enable it to devote greater scientific resources and manpower to developing the next generation of technologies and undertaking ambitious missions.

Among its long-term objectives are establishing the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035, carrying out an Indian crewed mission to the Moon by 2040, developing reusable and next-generation launch systems, expanding lunar and planetary exploration, and strengthening India’s position as a major global space power.

IN-SPACe, an autonomous agency under the Department of Space, is responsible for promoting, enabling, authorising and supervising space activities undertaken by non-governmental entities.

Goenka had reportedly stated that ISRO could eventually stop manufacturing launch vehicles, with production being undertaken by private companies or public sector undertakings instead.

The employee associations argued that such remarks had not been supported by an official communication from the Department of Space outlining the policy framework, legal and administrative basis, implementation timeline or implications for existing employees and future recruitment.

They also stressed that technologies developed by ISRO constitute national assets and that any transfer of such technology should be transparent and aligned with strategic, safety and employment considerations.

Goenka subsequently clarified his position in a series of posts on X, saying that ISRO’s importance was not being reduced and that the organisation would continue to serve as the foundation of India’s space sector.

He said the reforms initiated since 2020 were aimed at expanding the country’s broader space ecosystem by allowing industry to increasingly manufacture and scale mature launch vehicles, satellites and other established systems.

According to Goenka, ISRO would remain focused on advanced research and development, scientific and strategic missions, emerging technologies and infrastructure that private players may not yet be equipped to develop independently.

He further said close cooperation between ISRO and private companies would be essential for India to achieve its target of conducting around 50 launches annually by 2030.

“A goal of this scale cannot be achieved by one organisation alone,” he said.