Key employee associations at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have written to ISRO chairperson V Narayanan, questioning the direction of the agency’s privatisation drive and its implications for the existing workforce and the agency’s future role. The letter, obtained by The Indian Express, was sent on Friday, just hours after ISRO successfully launched an earth observation satellite aboard a GSLV rocket following a months-long hiatus.

Even as ISRO continues to deliver on its core missions, the letter showed that questions are mounting within about what role it will play as private players take on a growing share of the country’s space activities.

Concerns Raised by Employee Associations

At the centre of the controversy are remarks made on August 21, at a Business Today event, by Pawan Goenka, chairperson of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe). This nodal body, under the Department of Space, was announced by the Prime Minister in 2020 to open India’s space sector to private participation. Goenka stated:

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“Eventually, ISRO will not manufacture any launch vehicles, that will be done by the private sector or PSU. They will not do any day in day out kind of satellites. They will do the satellites that are for special purpose, for orbits for scientific research or to develop new technology that will then get transferred to the private sector.”

The employee associations argue 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.

Signed by representatives from across ISRO’s centres, including the Space Applications Centre and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, the letter asks the chairperson to issue a “written clarification” on whether Goenka’s statements represent an “approved decision” of the government of India, the space commission, or the department of space.