Isro will not be privatised: Chief addresses staff after unprecedented letter

Isro chairman V Narayanan told employees in a video conference that the agency will not be privatised. The assurance followed an unprecedented staff letter seeking clarity on wider space sector policy changes.ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, right, in a conversation with IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka during the inaugural session of 9th Bengaluru Space Expo 2026. (Photo: PTI)Isro Chairman V. Narayanan has sought to reassure employees amid growing concerns over changes in India's space sector, telling staff that the country's premier space agency will not be privatised.Narayanan addressed employees across Isro's various centres through a video conference, a day after saying that a written response could not be issued immediately simply because “one or two people” had submitted a letter.Multiple sources, IndiaToday.in spoke to, confirmed that the chairman spoke to employees for around 30 minutes. However, staff members said they had not yet received a formal written response to the concerns raised in their September 4 representation.The assurance was part of a regular meeting that Isro chief holds with multiple agencies within his ambit. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan addresses the inaugural session of 9th Bengaluru Space Expo 2026, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Monday, Sep. 7, 2026. (PTI Photo) The video conference marked Narayanan's first direct communication with employees since the letter became public, though the Isro chairman and other officials had made public statements on the issue earlier.According to a senior official who attended the address, Narayanan sought to allay fears by outlining several projects and missions planned for the coming years. “He listed out various projects or missions that we will implement over the next few years and said Isro will not be privatised,” one person familiar with the meeting said. He added that the Gaganyaan Mission is primed for launch before the end of this year.The employees were seeking greater clarity on the policies being implemented as the government expands the role of private companies in space activities.The employees had also questioned whether IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka was authorised to make certain public statements regarding changing roles and responsibilities within the country's space ecosystem.The September 4 representation was significant because it marked the first formal intervention by Isro employees since the government began opening India's space sector to private industry around six years ago.Among the concerns raised by employees were questions about the institutional framework under which technologies and facilities developed using public funds and taxpayer money could be transferred or made available outside Isro.They also sought clarity on whether decisions had already been taken regarding which institutions could access such technologies and infrastructure, and what the changing structure could mean for existing Isro employees.While the Isro chief's assurance that the agency will not be privatised may help calm some immediate fears, employees are still awaiting detailed answers on the broader policy changes reshaping India's rapidly evolving space sector.- EndsPublished By: Sibu Kumar TripathiPublished On: Sep 9, 2026 16:56 IST