The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has rejected privatization claims as private companies take on commercial work, a shift accompanying India's effort to expand launch capacity.
At an Oct. 24 event in Chennai, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said the agency would not be privatized, Press Trust of India reported. The news agency also attributed to him a national goal of four functional launch pads by 2029. In a separate Sept. 6 statement, ISRO said the government would retain ownership and control of critical national space infrastructure. It added that private firms could take part in some operations and services under safety, security and other requirements.
India’s 2023 space policy directs ISRO to focus on advanced research and national missions, while transferring mature systems to industry for commercial use. The Indian National Space Promotion & Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) authorizes private space activities, while NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) commercializes technology developed with public funds. The arrangement gives private firms a route into commercial manufacturing and services while ISRO concentrates on its research remit.
ISRO estimated India’s space economy at about $8.4 billion and set an aim for India to account for $44 billion of the global space market by 2033. The Cabinet approved Sriharikota’s third-pad project on Jan. 16, 2025, citing a total fund requirement of ₹3,984.86 crore and saying industry would participate in construction.
India’s Department of Space said in a March 18 parliamentary answer that two pads were operating at Sriharikota. Its target for establishing a third there is 2029–30, but the answer gives no date for when that pad will begin operating. That leaves the relationship between the department’s timetable and Narayanan’s reported four-pad goal unresolved.
The department expects the small-satellite launch complex at Kulasekarapattinam to be commissioned in fiscal 2026–27 and projects launches there in 2027–28. It also targets establishment of the Sriharikota pad in 2029–30.
