No privatisation, but space economy has to grow: ISRO chief’s message to staff

The Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), V Narayanan, on Monday allayed apprehensions of the space agency being privatised, saying that it is working with the private sector to expand the country’s space economy.

He said, “My colleagues have some genuine concerns and it is our responsibility to clarify. ISRO is not being privatised, it is a government organisation and we are working with government investment. The space ecosystem has to grow and the space economy has to grow.

And this work is towards that.” Narayanan said that ISRO currently has 56 satellites in space while the requirement is of 50 launches every year. “ISRO’s role will progressively strengthen in areas where its scientific expertise matters most: Frontier research and development, advanced technologies, human space flight, next-generation launch systems, deep space and planetary missions and strategic national capabilities.

Meanwhile, mature and routinely manufactured systems can increasingly be scaled through industry. Production of mature launch vehicles, routine satellites and other established systems can increasingly be undertaken by industry or PSUs through appropriate competitive processes.

This allows ISRO to devote more resources and scientific manpower to the next generation of technologies and missions,” the space agency had said on Sunday. This came after The Indian Express reported that key employee associations of the space agency wrote to Narayanan questioning the direction of the organisation's privatisation drive and its implication for the existing workforce, and the agency’s future role.

At least nine employee associations wrote to Narayanan raising concerns surrounding statements by IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre) Chairman Pawan Goenka that eventually ISRO will not manufacture any launch vehicle.

The associations argued 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.

The letter, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, raises several specific concerns: What will ISRO's future role as a public entity look like, whether or not PSUs will be excluded from manufacturing work, what safeguards exist for current employees, and how publicly-funded technologies will be transferred to private companies.

It also asks whether employee associations will be consulted before any “irreversible decision” affecting the space agency's structure, mandate or staffing is finalised.