ISRO alone cannot meet needs of country: Dr Narayanan on criticism over privatisation of space sector ecosystem

Sriharikota: ISRO Chairman, Dr V Narayanan, on Friday responded to criticism over the increasing role of private players in the country’s space sector, saying that ISRO alone cannot meet India’s growing requirements and that the overall space ecosystem needs to expand.

Speaking to IANS, Narayanan said India’s space economy and ecosystem must grow to meet the country’s rising demand for satellites and related services.

“Please understand, our country’s space economy has to grow and the space ecosystem has to grow because ISRO alone cannot meet the needs of the country. Right now, we have 56 satellites, but the requirement is for hundreds of satellites,” he said.

He said the government’s space sector reforms were aimed at enabling greater participation and expansion of the industry, with ISRO providing the necessary support.

“Therefore, the government has announced space sector reforms, and ISRO is hand-holding these activities. We have to really ensure that the space ecosystem in our country grows. Therefore, we will have a lot of job opportunities, the economy will grow and more satellites will be produced,” Narayanan said.

Commenting on the successful launch of the GSLV-F17 carrying the EOS-05 Earth observation satellite, he described the mission as an important achievement and a moment of pride for the country.

“This mission is a very important mission and a proud moment for every Indian because, for the first time, the heaviest satellite has been lifted by the GSLV Mark II vehicle. The GSLV Mark II vehicle’s capability, when we started, was only 1,536 kg. Today, we have improved the capability by almost 40 per cent, and this is the heaviest satellite lifted by this vehicle,” he said.

Giving an update on the Kulasekarapattinam spaceport project, Narayanan said construction work was progressing well and remained on schedule. He said the project was expected to be completed by March.

He also said the Gaganyaan programme was progressing as planned, with the first uncrewed mission targeted for this year.

Meanwhile, the GSLV-F17 rocket carrying EOS-05 successfully lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 2:55 a.m. on Friday. The pre-dawn mission marked another significant milestone in India’s space programme.

IANS