By Sagarika Rastogi
On Monday, chairman V. Narayanan stepped in front of reporters to insist that India’s space agency isn’t being diminished — not handed over to private hands and not pushed into the background. The growing presence of private companies and startups, he said, is meant to widen India’s space ecosystem, not shrink ISRO’s place within it. His comments came a day after the agency itself issued a pointed clarification, pushing back on speculation that it was being quietly privatised and reaffirming its role as the country’s primary body for advanced research, strategic missions and cutting-edge space science.
The reassurances came after nine employee associations had written a letter to Narayanan on 4 September, pressing for straight answers about plans to hand ISRO’s manufacturing and operational work to private firms and PSUs. The letter sought clarifications on what that would mean for the people already working there.
Much of the unease traces back to remarks made on 21 August by IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka, who suggested ISRO would eventually stop building launch vehicles altogether, leaving that job to industry. Employees want to know if that’s actual policy or just one man’s read on where things are headed.
It’s important to note that the timing couldn’t be worse for morale. ISRO has reportedly lost more than 100 scientists in recent times, some from sensitive programmes like Gaganyaan, drawn away by better-paying private opportunities. It was enough of an exodus that the Department of Space has tightened the rules around resigning from key projects.
Narayanan didn’t shy away from the numbers driving the reforms: 56 satellites currently in orbit, 450 industries already contributing roughly 80 percent of the budget on every PSLV or GSLV launch, and a future need for something like 50 launches a year — a staggering leap from the once-in-three-years launch cadence of 43 years ago, when he himself joined the agency. He called the staff’s worries genuine and promised ISRO would address them directly.
The issue has also become politically charged, with the Opposition alleging that the government is intentionally curtailing ISRO’s role. Congress MP and General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh called the employee associations’ efforts “courageous and commendable,” accusing the centre of limiting the space organisation’s role and transferring capabilities and expertise built over decades into the hands of private players whose long-term motivations are uncertain.
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