SUMMARY

Indian space regulator IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka has moved to reassure employees and the wider space industry that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will remain central to India's space programme. His comments came after ISRO employee associations sought clarification over proposals to give private companies a greater role in manufacturing and operating space systems. Goenka said the reforms are intended to expand India's overall space ecosystem, not reduce ISRO's importance.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will remain at the centre of India's space ambitions, according to Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).

Goenka made the clarification on September 6, 2026, after concerns emerged within ISRO over the agency's future role as India increasingly opens its space sector to private companies. He said there had been misleading narratives about ISRO's future and stressed that its role was "by no means diminishing."

Goenka Says ISRO Will Remain Central

Goenka's comments were aimed at making India's space-sector strategy clearer. According to him, the reforms introduced since 2020 are designed to create a larger and more capable space ecosystem in which government agencies and private companies perform complementary roles.

Under this model, ISRO would continue concentrating on advanced research and development, scientific missions, strategic programmes and technologies that are too complex or risky for private companies to develop independently.

Private industry, meanwhile, would increasingly take responsibility for manufacturing and scaling mature launch vehicles, satellites and other space systems.

Why ISRO Employees Raised Concerns

The clarification came shortly after nine ISRO employee associations wrote to ISRO chairman V. Narayanan seeking greater clarity about the proposed transfer of some manufacturing and operational activities to private companies.

The employee groups reportedly raised questions about ISRO's future responsibilities, the effect of private-sector participation on existing employees and what the changes could mean for future recruitment.

Those concerns come as India attempts to transform its space sector from one dominated by government institutions into a much broader commercial ecosystem.

India Wants More Private Companies in Space

India opened its space sector to private participation with reforms introduced from 2020 onward. The objective has been to allow companies and startups to participate more extensively in satellite development, launch services, manufacturing and other space-related activities.

Goenka said the strategy should not be interpreted as replacing ISRO with private companies. Instead, he described it as an effort to allow ISRO to concentrate on technological frontiers while industry develops the capacity to manufacture and operate systems at scale.

IN-SPACe is responsible for facilitating and authorising greater participation by non-government entities, while NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is expected to help commercialise mature space capabilities. 1

India Sets Target of 50 Launches a Year

One of the biggest challenges facing India's expanding space sector is scale.

Goenka said India has set an ambitious target of achieving 50 launches annually by 2030. Reaching that level would require significantly greater launch capacity, satellite manufacturing, infrastructure and private-sector participation.

He argued that such a target cannot be achieved by one organisation alone. ISRO's research and technological development would need to be combined with private industry's ability to manufacture and scale products commercially. 2

India's Space Startup Industry Is Growing

India's space reforms have already produced a growing private-sector ecosystem. Goenka said the country now has more than 450 space startups, compared with only a small number five years earlier.

Indian private companies have also progressed from developing components and technologies to participating directly in orbital launch activities.

The next challenge, however, is moving from individual successes to sustained industrial capacity. That means producing more rockets, satellites and other space systems while building the infrastructure required to support a much higher launch frequency.

ISRO's Future Missions Remain Ambitious

Goenka's statement also highlighted several major programmes that are expected to remain under ISRO's leadership.

These include India's planned Bharatiya Antariksh Station, targeted for 2035, a proposed Indian crewed mission to the Moon by 2040, next-generation launch systems and continued lunar and planetary exploration.

That means the organisation's future role is expected to extend beyond simply operating India's existing space infrastructure. ISRO is being positioned as the institution responsible for pushing the country's technological and scientific boundaries.

What the New Model Means for ISRO

The emerging structure could eventually divide responsibilities more clearly.

ISRO would focus heavily on frontier research, national missions, strategic capabilities and technologies that are still being developed. Private companies could then commercialise mature technologies, manufacture them at larger volumes and compete for commercial customers.

In theory, this could allow ISRO to spend more resources on difficult scientific and technological problems instead of handling every stage of production itself.

Why This Matters for India's Space Ambitions

India is competing for a larger position in a rapidly expanding global space economy. Satellites are increasingly important for communications, navigation, weather monitoring, Earth observation, defence and scientific research.

A stronger private sector could give India additional launch capacity and manufacturing capability while creating new commercial opportunities. At the same time, keeping ISRO at the centre of advanced research allows the country to maintain a strong national scientific and technological foundation.

The challenge will be finding the right balance. Expanding private participation must not create uncertainty over ISRO's responsibilities, while ISRO itself will need sufficient resources and technical talent to continue leading complex missions.

What Happens Next?

Goenka's statement is intended to provide reassurance, but the practical details of India's evolving space-sector structure will matter more than the statement itself.

As private companies take on more manufacturing and operational responsibilities, the government will have to establish clear boundaries between ISRO, IN-SPACe, NSIL and commercial operators.

For ISRO employees, the key questions will include how responsibilities are transferred, which activities remain under the agency and how the changes affect staffing and future recruitment.

Conclusion

Pawan Goenka's message is clear: India's push to expand private participation in space is not intended to make ISRO less important.

Instead, the government wants a larger ecosystem in which ISRO focuses on advanced science and technology while private companies help turn mature capabilities into large-scale commercial products.

If the strategy succeeds, India could have both a stronger national space agency and a much larger private space industry. The ambitious target of 50 launches a year by 2030 will be an important test of whether that model can work at scale.

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