Isro will remain bedrock of space sector: IN-SPACe chief clarifies private sector push

IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka said Isro will remain central as India expands private space participation. The statement seeks to reassure employees while defining a larger role for industry.IN-SPACe will facilitate and authorise greater participation by non-government entities. (Photo: India Today/PTI)The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will continue to remain the bedrock of India's space sector, IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka has said, seeking to address concerns over the expanding role of private companies in the country's rapidly growing space ecosystem.Goenka's remarks come amid unease among sections of Isro's workforce over the government's push to increase private sector participation in space activities, including the manufacturing and scaling up of launch vehicles, satellites and other systems.In a post on X, Goenka said Isro's role was “by no means diminishing”, stressing that the space sector reforms introduced since 2020 were aimed at expanding India's overall capabilities rather than shrinking the national space agency.“The direction is not a smaller Isro. It is a larger Indian space ecosystem, with Isro pushing the technological frontier,” he said. India opened its space sector to greater private participation in 2020, creating a framework aimed at allowing non-government entities to play a bigger role in building rockets, satellites and space-based services. According to Goenka, IN-SPACe will facilitate and authorise greater participation by non-government entities, while NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) will help commercialise mature technologies and capabilities developed by the country's space programme.The broader idea, he said, is for industry to increasingly take up the manufacturing and scaling of mature systems, including launch vehicles and satellites.Isro, meanwhile, would focus on areas where it has unique capabilities, including advanced research and development, scientific missions, strategic missions, new technologies and highly complex infrastructure that may be difficult for private companies to independently develop.Goenka's comments come as Isro employee associations have sought clarification from the government about the future role of the organisation amid the growing private sector push.Sections of the workforce have expressed concerns over where the line would be drawn between enabling private participation and moving core Isro capabilities outside the organisation.Goenka's latest statement appears to underline the government's vision of creating a division of responsibilities rather than replacing Isro with private industry.He said Isro would remain at the core of India's space programme and continue leading frontier research and the next generation of national missions.These include ambitious projects such as the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035, an Indian crewed mission to the Moon by 2040, next-generation launch systems, and sustained lunar and planetary exploration.The challenge for India will be to build private sector capacity capable of manufacturing and operating space systems at scale while ensuring that Isro continues to retain and strengthen its scientific, technological and strategic capabilities.- EndsPublished By: Sibu Kumar TripathiPublished On: Sep 6, 2026 20:26 IST