'ISRO will remain the bedrock of India's space sector': Pawan Goenka clarifies space agency's future role

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The reforms since 2020 are about expanding India’s overall space ecosystem, says Pawan Goenka

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Updated Sep 6, 2026 7:53 PM IST

'ISRO will remain the bedrock of India's space sector': Pawan Goenka clarifies space agency's future role

Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre

Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), on Sunday said ISRO's role in India's space programme was "by no means diminishing" and that it will remain "the bedrock of India's space sector".

"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," Goenka said in a post on X. "It will remain the bedrock of Indian space sector"

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.

The reforms since 2020 are about expanding India’s overall space…

— Pawan K Goenka (@GoenkaPk) September 6, 2026

Goenka's statement came days after nine ISRO employee associations sought clarification from ISRO Chairman V Narayanan over the proposed transfer of some of the agency's operational functions to private companies.

IN-SPACe, he said, would facilitate and authorise greater participation by non-government entities, while NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) would help commercialise mature capabilities.

Must Read: ISRO places EOS-05 into orbit: Why India’s first geo-orbit imaging satellite matters

"The idea is to let industry increasingly manufacture and scale mature launch vehicles, satellites, and other systems, while ISRO focuses on what it is uniquely placed to do: advanced R&D, scientific missions, strategic missions, new technologies, and infrastructure that is too complex for the private sector to develop on its own," he added.

Goenka said ISRO would remain at the centre of India's space programme and lead frontier research and the next generation of 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."

50 Launches A Year By 2030

In another post earlier on Sunday, the IN-SPACe chairman said India's space reforms were also aimed at helping private companies scale up. "Five years ago, when India opened up its space sector, we had two clear objectives: enable ISRO to conquer new frontiers and empower our private industry to scale up," he said.

He pointed to the growth of India's space startup ecosystem, saying the country now has more than 450 space startups, compared with "barely a handful" five years ago. Indian private industry has also already flown a rocket to orbit, he said.

But Goenka said the next challenge was scaling up. "We have set ourselves an ambitious target of 50 launches a year by 2030," he said. "A goal of this scale cannot be achieved by one organisation alone."

He said the government and private industry would have to work together to build the capacity needed to meet that target. "ISRO’s research will continue to push the frontiers of what is possible. Private industry must translate that momentum into manufacturing at scale: more rockets, more satellites, more launch capacity, and new technologies," he said.

Staff Concerns Over Private Role

Nine ISRO employee associations wrote to ISRO Chairman Narayanan on September 4.

The associations sought clarity on the proposed transfer of manufacturing and operational functions to private entities. They also raised questions about ISRO's future role and the implications for current employees and future recruitment.

"Private participation in defined commercial activities can coexist with a strong, publicly owned ISRO," the associations said. But they objected to any policy that, in their view, could reduce ISRO to a "residual R&D boutique" while the production of launch vehicles and operation of launch infrastructure moved out of public hands.

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Published on: Sep 6, 2026 7:45 PM IST

'ISRO will remain the bedrock of India's space sector': Pawan Goenka clarifies space agency's future role

The reforms since 2020 are about expanding India’s overall space ecosystem, says Pawan Goenka

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