The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has clarified that its role will not diminish amid India’s growing push for private-sector participation in the space industry.
The clarification came two days after nine associations representing thousands of ISRO employees sought clarity from the government over the future of the space agency and concerns about the gradual transfer of its manufacturing and operational activities to private companies.
IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka said there had been “some misleading narrative” about ISRO’s future role. He stressed that ISRO would remain the “bedrock” of India’s space sector, while the reforms introduced since 2020 were aimed at expanding the country’s overall space ecosystem.
The employee associations had approached the Department of Space secretary and ISRO chairman V Narayanan after Goenka said that, eventually, ISRO would no longer manufacture launch vehicles, with such activities being undertaken by private companies or public sector undertakings.
Responding to the concerns, ISRO said it would neither be privatised nor lose its importance. The agency explained that greater private-sector participation would allow it to concentrate on advanced technologies and the next generation of India’s space programme.
ISRO said its role would increasingly focus on frontier research and development, advanced technologies, human spaceflight, next-generation launch systems, deep-space and planetary missions, and other strategic national capabilities.
At the same time, mature and routinely manufactured systems, including established launch vehicles and routine satellites, could increasingly be produced by private industry and PSUs through competitive processes.
The space agency said the reforms are intended to create a stronger partnership between ISRO and industry, with private players taking on mature technologies while ISRO focuses on research, innovation and ambitious future missions.
