BENGALURU: Isro chairman V Narayanan Monday said genuine concerns of his colleagues would be clarified. “…If one or two people give you a letter, one cannot give a written communication immediately. Please understand, we are 20,000 employees. But we will address the employees,” he said on the sidelines of Bengaluru Space Expo 2026 here.Narayanan said that Isro had a system to regularly talk to employees. “…For example, when the space sector reforms were rolled out, from the Chairman onwards, we have regularly engaged with our employees,” he added.Earlier at the inaugural, Isro chairman and IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka made a strong case for greater participation by industry, startups and academia in India’s space programme, arguing that the country’s expanding ambitions cannot be met by the national space agency alone.Their remarks came a day after Isro and Goenka had released separate statements about the role of Isro, IN-SPACe and the private sector, which followed a letter by nine employees’ associations raising concerns over the future role of Isro.Narayanan said Monday that India’s requirements were set to rise sharply: “Our space programme is 64-65 years old. Right now, we have 56 space assets in serving the common man of the country. But the [future] need is huge. I think you all know that,” he said, adding that industry would need to play a greater role in meeting that.He said industry had, in any case, long been an integral part of India’s space programme. “Whenever an LVM3 is lifting off or a GSLV is lifting off, please do not think that everything is done in Isro. Almost 80% of the budget is invested in Indian industry. About 450 industries are working for us now,” he said.Narayanan said the growth of private companies and startups had to be welcomed if India was to meet its future requirements. From only one or two space startups around the time of the 2020 reforms, the country now has more than 450, he said.But he stressed that greater private-sector participation did not mean a reduced role for Isro. The agency’s role was evolving as it took on an expanding range of programmes, including Chandrayaan-4 and Chandrayaan-5, the Venus Orbiter Mission, the Indian Space Station, a next-generation launch vehicle and the expansion of the Navic constellation.India’s current capability to launch around 8,500-9,000 kg would also have to be raised to about 30,000 kg, he said. “Isro’s role is in no way reduced. But we also have to handhold startup companies and the private sector.”Goenka, meanwhile, said India was building a “full-spectrum space economy” in which Isro, IN-SPACe, Nsil, private industry, MSMEs, academia and investors would play reinforcing roles.
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From a single space startup in 2014, India now has more than 450, with over $160 million of private investment coming into the sector this year, he said. He urged established suppliers and MSMEs to move beyond supplying components and enter higher-value segments.“You are the quiet backbone of this story today,” Goenka told industry representatives, noting that a substantial share of what Isro builds already comes from its industrial suppliers. He urged them to move “from components to subsystems to full solutions” and serve global supply chains as well.
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