ISRO Chairman V Narayanan Reassures Staff: No Privatization, Just a Bigger Role for India’s Private Space Industry

At the Bengaluru Space Expo 2026, ISRO chairman V Narayanan took a few minutes to address a question that’s been buzzing around the agency’s corridors for months. "My colleagues have some genuine concerns, and it’s our responsibility to clarify," he began, his tone measured but unmistakably earnest.

He quickly dismissed the most dramatic headline‑grabbing rumor: ISRO is not being privatised. "ISRO is a government organisation, and we are working with government investment," he said, pausing as if to let the words settle. The chief made it clear that the reforms rolling out over the past six years are not about handing over the reins to private hands, but about widening the space ecosystem so the whole country can benefit.

That clarification came after at least nine employee unions wrote to Narayanan, asking what the future holds for their jobs and for the agency’s core mission. Some of the anxiety had been stoked by comments from IN‑SPACe chairman Pawan Goenka, who hinted that ISRO might eventually stop building launch vehicles altogether. Narayanan’s response was both a reassurance and a roadmap.

"The space sector reform was rolled out six years back. As per that, we are supposed to hand‑hold the private sector and grow the space ecosystem," he explained. He reminded the audience that private industry already plays a massive part in ISRO’s launch programmes – roughly 80 % of the launch‑related budget flows from Indian companies, and more than 450 firms are part of the supply chain.

When asked about India’s launch cadence, Narayanan said the country needs about fifty launches a year. "That means the whole Indian space ecosystem – not just ISRO – will be delivering those rockets," he said, adding, "Fifty launches are going to be accomplished by Indians in India." He wanted everyone to understand that the ambition is national, not institutional.

He also touched on funding, noting that the government continues to allocate the budget ISRO needs each year. "There is no shortage of budget," he said, a line that seemed aimed at easing worries about potential cut‑backs.

On the human side of the story, Narayanan addressed attrition. "The attrition has not increased dramatically – maybe a marginal rise. A turnover of about 150 staff is normal, in my opinion," he explained, trying to calm any fears about a brain drain.

In short, the message was simple: ISRO remains the nation’s premier space research agency, focusing on frontier technologies, human spaceflight, deep‑space missions and strategic capabilities. Meanwhile, the private sector is being invited to step up, take on more production roles and help scale mature systems. This dual‑track approach, Narayanan stressed, is squarely in line with the Indian Space Policy.

As the expo buzzed on around him, the chairman’s words seemed to land where they mattered most – in the minds of the engineers, scientists and support staff who keep India’s rockets soaring. The reforms are not a hand‑over; they’re a hand‑out, he implied, to a broader community of Indian innovators.