New Delhi, September 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday dismissed media reports suggesting that space-sector reforms could lead to its privatisation or a reduction in its role, asserting that it will remain the country’s principal institution for advanced space research, strategic missions and technology development.
In a detailed post on X, ISRO said such reports were based on “completely baseless and incorrect” assertions and clarified that the organisation would continue to lead national efforts in advanced research, strategic capabilities, human spaceflight, next-generation launch technologies, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, and lunar and planetary exploration.
ISRO said greater private-sector participation does not represent a dilution of its responsibilities. Instead, the reforms are intended to allow the organisation to concentrate on advanced technologies and complex national missions while industry scales up mature and commercially viable capabilities.
‘ISRO-Led National Space Ecosystem’
The space agency said reforms initiated since 2020 and institutionalised through the Indian Space Policy 2023, along with progressive liberalisation of foreign direct investment rules, are aimed at creating a larger and globally competitive Indian space ecosystem.
Start-ups, industry and academia are being encouraged to participate across the space value chain, complementing ISRO’s capabilities. The agency said it has already transferred multiple mature technologies to industry, enabling large-scale manufacturing, commercialisation, innovation and access to international markets.
ISRO stressed that technology transfer does not mean withdrawal from a particular domain. Mature launch vehicles, routine satellites and other established systems can increasingly be manufactured by industry or public sector undertakings through appropriate competitive processes, allowing ISRO’s scientific and technical workforce to focus on frontier research.
The organisation said its role will increasingly centre on areas requiring specialised scientific expertise, including advanced payloads, communication and navigation technologies, Earth-observation systems, sensors, propulsion, human spaceflight, next-generation launch systems, deep-space missions and strategic capabilities.
Space Vision 2047
ISRO said India’s long-term ambitions include establishing the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035, undertaking a crewed mission to the Moon by 2040, developing reusable and next-generation launch systems, pursuing sustained lunar and planetary exploration, and emerging as a major global space power.
The agency said achieving these goals requires ISRO to remain focused on technological frontiers while the private sector provides investment, manufacturing capacity, entrepreneurship and access to global markets.
India’s private space ecosystem has expanded significantly since the 2020 reforms. ISRO said the country now has more than 450 space startups, compared with only a handful in 2020, working across launch vehicles, satellites, propulsion, ground systems, Earth observation, communications and space applications.
India’s space economy is currently estimated at around $8.4 billion, while the country aims to increase its share of the global space market to $44 billion by 2033.
ISRO said achieving that scale cannot depend solely on government resources and its own manpower, making private investment and industrial participation essential to the expansion of the national space programme.
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