Home · Health · Sep 7 archive
ISRO Chief Emphasizes Growth of Space Economy Over Privatisation Concerns
Confirmed
In Short: ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan has assured that India’s space economy must expand to meet the country’s growing satellite needs, while addressing concerns about privatisation.
ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan has clarified that India’s space economy and ecosystem must grow to meet the country’s rising demand for satellites and related services, according to reports. 'Our space economy has to grow and the space ecosystem has to grow because ISRO alone cannot meet the needs of the country,' he said, adding that the government’s space sector reforms are aimed at enabling greater participation and expansion of the industry.
Narayanan also addressed apprehensions about the space agency being privatised, stating that ISRO currently has 56 satellites in space while the requirement is for 50 launches every year. 'Whenever a PSLV is lifting off or GSLV is lifting off, please don’t think everything is done in ISRO, or inside. Almost 80% of the budget is invested in industry, and 450 industries are working for us,' he said on the sidelines of the Bengaluru Space Expo.
The successful launch of the GSLV-F17 rocket carrying EOS-05 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota marked another significant milestone in India’s space programme. This comes after key employee associations of the space agency wrote to Narayanan questioning the direction of the organisation’s privatisation drive and its implications for the existing workforce and the agency’s future role.
ISRO’s role will progressively strengthen in areas where its scientific expertise matters most, such as frontier research and development, advanced technologies, human space flight, next-generation launch systems, deep space and planetary missions, and strategic national capabilities. Meanwhile, mature and routinely manufactured systems can increasingly be scaled through industry or PSUs through appropriate competitive processes.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Subscribe The Financial World is a weekly broadsheet newspaper that mainly covers news and views on the Economy, Corporate world, and Politics.
- At least nine employee associations wrote to Narayanan raising concerns surrounding statements by IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre) Chairman Pawan Goenka that eventually ISRO will not manufacture any launch vehicle.
- The associations argued that these statements were never followed by any formal communication from the Department of Space explaining the policy, its legal basis, its timeline, or its impact on current staff and future recruitment.