ISRO staff raises concerns over private sector transition in India's space program; seek 'written reply'

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), for the first time, has raised concerns over the direction and basis of the transition of India's space sector since the government began opening the segment to private industry six years ago.

According to a report of TOI's Chethan Kumar, nine employee bodies at ISRO centres, representing thousands of staff under the Department of Space (DoS), have formally raised concerns, seeking written clarification from chairman, space commission, who also serves as secretary, DoS and chairman, ISRO.

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“Private participation in defined commercial activities can coexist with a strong, publicly owned Isro. What cannot be accepted without debate is a policy that reduces the ISRO to a residual R&D boutique while the realisation of the nation’s launch vehicles and the operation of its launch infrastructure pass out of public hands,” the representation dated September 4, reads, as quoted by TOI.

Terming technology developed by Isro a national asset, the employee bodies said that the technology transfer must be transparent, accountable, and consistent with strategic, safety and employment considerations.

“...Serving employees have an earned right to be informed, consulted and protected. Natural justice and good administration require that policy of this magnitude be explained to the workforce by the Department itself.”

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 have signed the joint representation.

IN-SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka recently made a statement on ISRO saying that the space agency is eventually “not manufacturing any launch vehicles”.

Pointing to the same, the nine employee bodies asked if his statement “represents an approved decision of the Govt of India, Space Commission or DoS… If approved, the date, authority and text of the policy decision may kindly be indicated.”

“What will be the future mandated role of Isro — specifically, whether design, development, realisation, integration, testing and launch of PSLV, LVM-3, SSLV and successor vehicles will continue as Isro functions or will cease. Whether any decision has been taken to exclude PSUs from the proposed transfer of PSLV/LVM-3 production, and the justification for such exclusion,” they asked, as qupted by the publication.

The space scientists have also sought in writing the institutional arrangement under which publicly created technology, launch complexes, test facilities and know-how — built with taxpayer funds and the labour of generations of Isro employees — are being transferred or opened to private operation, and the role of NSIL vis-a-vis IN-SPACe in such transfers.

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“Isro was built as a national scientific institution with public funds, public purpose and a public workforce. Launch-vehicle design, realisation, integration, testing and launch operations are not merely ‘manufacturing contracts’. They are the core competence, institutional memory and strategic capability of the organisation,” the letter reads.

The representatives reasonablly fears that a progressive withdrawal of ISRO from launch-vehicle and satellite realisation will tamper experiments after research, shrink in-house work, freeze or reduce sanctioned strength, and close promotion and skill-development avenues in fields of technical, scientific, administrative, stores, purchase, quality, safety and industrial cadres.

“Existing employees may be rendered surplus, or redeployed, or left without meaningful work while the same tasks are performed by private contractors using publicly developed technology…Regular recruitment to Group A, B and C posts — already constrained by vacancies and attrition — will further decline, denying opportunity to meritorious youth who look to Isro as a public career of honour, not as a private contractor's workforce,” the letter reads.

The employee bodies also congratulated ISRO on the recent success of GSLV-F17/EOS-05, saying, "...We once again proved that we can rise from ashes and fly like a phoenix.”

They said that the letter is being submitted in a "constructive and democratic spirit" and their loyalty to India's space agency 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,” they said, adding that they will plan further course of action once they receive a written reply.

The letter comes soon after Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt (retd.), Director General, ISpA said that private players are creating major waves in the Indian space sector, as the sector is witnessing “huge activity” from them expanding participation across communication, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and other domains, whilst India aims to increase its share of the global space economy


“So, there is huge activity. The private sector is now participating to provide services in all domains, be it communication, be it ISR, and in future, maybe PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) to all users, military and so on,” Bhatt said.

He also noted that contracts have been given to the private sector for satellite-based services, including surveillance for the armed forces and an additional contract for 12 Earth observation (EO) satellites has been awarded.