ISRO to stay in charge even as private space grows

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Key points

• Understanding business to figure out the mystery: Power Grid Corp – Part 1.
• ISROIndian Space Research Organisationspace sector reformsprivatisation of ISROadvanced space researchGovernment of Indiaprivate sector in spaceIndia space ecosystemforeign direct investment in space.
• Pawan K Goenka, chairman of IN-SPACe, additionally rejected worries that ISRO's role was being diminished, saying the space agency would remain the "bedrock" of India's space sector.
• "What is changing is not the importance of ISRO, but the scale and structure of India's space ecosystem, " ISRO remarked in its clarification.
• The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

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ISRO clarifies: No plan to privatise space agency, role to remain central.

ISRO clarifies: No plan to privatise space agency, role to remain central. ET OnlineLast Updated: Sep 06, 2026, 09: 00: 00 PM IST.

ISRO denies privatization reports, stating its role remains central to space research. Reforms aim to expand India's space ecosystem and foster global competitiveness. Private firms will scale mature technologies, complementing ISRO's advanced research efforts. ISRO will focus on frontier technologies and complex national missions. This transition creates an ISRO-led national space ecosystem for expansion. Listen to this article in summarized format. Unlock AI Briefing and Premium Content. New Year Offer 24 Hours Left. Subscribe Now Already a member? Sign In.

Meanwhile, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has clarified that there is no move to privatise the space agency or diminish its role against the backdrop of ongoing space-sector reforms, calling such reports and speculation "baseless and incorrect". ISRO will continue to remain India's principal institution for advanced space research and technology development, national and strategic missions, space science and exploration, and critical and frontier space capabilities, it remarked. The space agency remarked greater participation by private businesses is aimed at expanding India's space ecosystem and allowing ISRO to focus more strongly on next-generation technologies and complex national missions.

"What is changing is not the importance of ISRO, but the scale and structure of India's space ecosystem, " ISRO remarked in its clarification. Live Events. IN-SPACe chairman backs ISRO's central role.

"There has been some misleading narrative in the media around the future role of ISRO. Let me say it unequivocally: ISRO's role is by no means diminishing. It will remain the bedrock of Indian space sector, " Goenka remarked in a post on X. He remarked the reforms undertaken since 2020 were aimed at expanding India's overall space ecosystem, with IN-SPACe facilitating and authorising greater non-government participation and NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) helping commercialise mature capabilities. While ISRO focuses on advanced R&D, scientific and strategic missions, new technologies and infrastructure that is too complex for the private sector to develop independently, goenka remarked the aim was to enable industry to increasingly manufacture and scale mature launch vehicles, satellites and other systems. He remarked ISRO would remain at the core of India's space programme and lead frontier research and next-generation national missions, including 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 direction is not a smaller ISRO. It is a larger Indian space ecosystem, with ISRO pushing the technological frontier, " Goenka remarked. ISRO to focus on frontier technologies.

ISRO remarked the space-sector reforms initiated since 2020 and institutionalised through the Indian Space Policy 2023, along with the progressive liberalisation of foreign direct investment (FDI) policy, are aimed at creating a larger, stronger and globally competitive Indian space ecosystem. Industry, startups and academia are being enabled to participate throughout the space value chain, complementing ISRO's capabilities. The agency remarked the reforms should be viewed as ecosystem expansion and capability multiplication, not privatisation. – GoenkaPk (@GoenkaPk).

ISRO remarked its role would progressively strengthen in areas including frontier research and development, advanced technologies, human spaceflight, next-generation launch systems, deep-space and planetary missions and strategic national capabilities. It will continue developing advanced payloads for communication, navigation and Earth observation, sensors, propulsion systems and other critical technologies. Private sector to scale mature technologies.

Meanwhile, mature technologies and routinely manufactured systems can increasingly be scaled through industry and public sector undertakings (PSUs), ISRO remarked. The agency has already transferred multiple technologies to industry. Such technology transfers do not mean ISRO is withdrawing from those domains, it remarked, adding that they enable large-scale production, commercialisation, innovation and access to global markets. Production of mature launch vehicles, routine satellites and other established systems can increasingly be undertaken by industry or PSUs through appropriate competitive processes. While the wider ecosystem provides the investment, manufacturing capacity and scale required for an expanding space programme, this would allow ISRO to devote more scientific manpower and resources to advanced research and next-generation missions. ISRO described the transition as an "ISRO-led national space ecosystem", with the agency retaining its core scientific and strategic mandate while industry takes on a larger role in scaling mature technologies and capabilities. Add Now!

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In short, ISRO to stay in charge even as private space grows is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.