Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
“We have set ourselves an ambitious target of 50 launches a year by 2030. A goal of this scale cannot be achieved by one organisation alone. Government and private industry have to build this future together,” IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka said in a post on X.
Goenka’s remarks come amid growing concerns among sections of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) workforce over the expanding role of private companies in India’s space programme.
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In a post shared after Isro’s successful GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission, Goenka said India’s decision to open its space sector to private players five years ago had two major objectives: allowing Isro to focus on conquering new technological frontiers while enabling Indian industry to build capabilities at scale.
“Today, we are seeing both take shape,” Goenka said, describing EOS-05 as a major achievement for Isro.
He pointed to the rapid growth of India’s private space ecosystem since the sector was opened up. From just a handful of space startups five years ago, India now has more than 450 space startups, he said, adding that Indian private industry has already successfully flown a rocket to orbit.
However, Goenka said the next challenge would be scaling up India’s capabilities.
India has set itself the ambitious goal of conducting 50 launches every year by 2030, a target that would require a significant expansion of the country’s ability to manufacture rockets and satellites and operate launch infrastructure.
“A goal of this scale cannot be achieved by one organisation alone,” Goenka said, calling for the government and private industry to build India’s future in space together.
Under this model, he said, Isro’s role would continue to be centred on research and pushing the boundaries of technology, while private companies would focus on translating those advances into large-scale manufacturing.
That would mean building more rockets, more satellites, greater launch capacity and new technologies, creating what Goenka described as a complete space ecosystem capable of matching India’s ambitions.
“The opportunity before us is immense: build in India, launch from India and serve the world from India,” he said.
The comments are significant because they come at a time when Isro employee associations have reportedly sought clarification from the government over the future role of the national space agency as more activities are opened to private companies and public sector undertakings.
Sections of the Isro workforce have expressed concerns about where the line would be drawn between enabling private participation and reducing Isro’s own capability to design, build, integrate and launch major space systems.
Goenka’s latest remarks, however, underline the government’s broader vision for the sector, one in which Isro focuses on advanced research and new frontiers, while industry takes on a larger role in manufacturing and scaling India’s access to space.
The challenge now will be balancing those two objectives: rapidly building private-sector capacity while ensuring that India’s decades of scientific expertise and strategic capabilities within Isro remain strong.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
