Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 6 (ANI): Days after the successful launch of the GSLV F17 - EOS 05 mission, service associations representing employees of various Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) centres and units have written to Department of Space Secretary and ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, seeking official clarification on the government's policy regarding the privatisation or transfer of ISRO's manufacturing and operational functions.
In a joint representation dated September 4, 2026, nine associations, including the ISRO Staff Association, SHAR Employees Association, ISAC Employees Association, ISRO Staff Association LPSC, ISRO Staff Association-BBU, NRSA Employees Union, Space Employees Association-BBU, ISRO Staff Association-IPRC and SAC Employees Welfare Association, raised concerns over reports and public statements regarding the proposed transfer of various activities from ISRO to private entities and public sector undertakings.
The associations cited public statements made by Pawan Kumar Goenka, Chairman of IN-SPACe, at the Summit on August 21, 2026.
He was reported to have said: "Eventually, ISRO will not make any launch vehicles and will not manufacture any launch vehicles. That will all be done by the private sector or PSU."
The letter also notes reports that: Transfer has begun with SSLV technology and production rights handed to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and is proposed to be extended to PSLV and LVM3; Public sector undertakings may be excluded from the forthcoming transfer process; Routine satellite manufacturing is also to move out of ISRO; Operation of new launch infrastructure, including the Space Launch Complex at Kulasekarapattinam, is being opened to private entities; About 120 technologies have already been transferred from ISRO to the private sector.
The associations said these statements have received wide national publicity but have not been accompanied by any official communication from the Department of Space to its employees explaining the approved policy, its legal basis, phasing or consequences for existing workforce and future recruitment.
The letter states that ISRO was built as a national scientific institution with public funds and that launch vehicle design, realisation, integration, testing and launch operations are not merely "manufacturing contracts" but core competence and strategic capability.
Progressive withdrawal from launch vehicle and satellite realisation will shrink in-house work, freeze sanctioned strength and close promotion avenues; Existing staff working in development facilities may be rendered surplus or left without meaningful work while the same tasks are done by private contractors; Regular recruitment to Group A, B and C posts - already constrained by vacancies and attrition - will further decline; Families who planned lives around stability of ISRO service face uncertainty; Strategic autonomy, quality assurance and safety culture may be diluted if core operations pass out of public control, the representation said.
The associations clarified that their concern is not hostility to Indian industry or to legitimate commercialisation through NSIL, but the absence of an official policy document that draws a line between enabling private participation and dismantling ISRO's own capability.
The associations have requested a time-bound written clarification on Whether IN-SPACe Chairman's statements represent an approved Government of India decision or only IN-SPACe's promotional outlook; Future mandated role of ISRO - whether PSLV, LVM3, SSLV and successor vehicles will continue as ISRO functions; Whether PSUs have been excluded from PSLV/LVM3 transfer and why; Implications for sanctioned strength, vacancies, recruitment calendar and induction in next 5-10 years; Safeguards for serving employees against adverse cadre review and erosion of promotional avenues; Institutional arrangement under which publicly created technology, facilities and launch complexes are transferred to private operation, and role of NSIL vs IN-SPACe; Whether Service Associations will be consulted before any irreversible decision.
They have prayed that the Chairman: Issue an official written clarification; Confirm that no irreversible transfer of core realisation or launch functions will be affected and brief Service Associations; Hold structured interaction with recognised associations; Reassure employees through official communication that their service conditions and public employment status will be protected.
"We submit this representation in a constructive and democratic spirit. Our loyalty to ISRO and to the national space programme is not in question. Precisely because of that loyalty, we consider it our duty to seek clarity before uncertainty hardens into irreversible policy," the letter signed by nine general secretaries and presidents, including M Prasad (SEA-SDSC), Shashikumar B (ISAC EA), Sarathkumar VS (ISRO SA), Shirish Balu Gharde (SEWA-SAC) and others, said. (ANI)
ISRO Employees' Associations write to Chairman V Narayanan, seek clarity on privatisation plans
