This article is part of Space Wrap, a round-up of space news and developments in and related to India every month
Mr. In addition to this, Dr. Narayanan also addressed ISRO employees in a video conference. Aside from dealing with the HR situation back home, ISRO also strengthened its international cooperation. Dr. The agencies have included space weather, human and robotic exploration and sustainability of space activities as new areas of cooperation. They also reiterated their commitment to reducing existing asymmetries in space capabilities among the BRICS countries.
The successful predawn launch of the advanced earth observation satellite EOS-05, on board the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket on September 4, 2026 from the spaceport in Sriharikota brought considerable relief for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO): it had finally successfully launched a rocket and place a satellite in orbit after a gap of nearly eight months. Narayanan participated in the International Space Summit in Paris and signed documents with the European Space Agency to extend the longstanding cooperation agreement between the two space agencies for five more years, until January 8, 2032. At the BRICS New Delhi Declaration 2026, the participating countries recognised the importance of international cooperation in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space and of space systems.
Goenka also said ISRO will continue to remain the bedrock of the Indian space sector while IN-SPACe will facilitate greater non-governmental participation and NewSpace India, Ltd. (NSIL) would help with commercialisation.
However, even before it could celebrate the success of the F17 mission, a group of employees working in various centers of the space agency wrote to the ISRO chairman, V. Narayanan, seeking a clarification on the official government policy regarding privatisation, the transfer of ISRO manufacturing and operational functions, its future role in the Indian space programme, and the impact on serving and future employees.
Also, on the same day of the GSLV-F17 launch, the Joint Action Council (JAC), representing nine ISRO employees’ associations, sought clarification from Dr. Narayanan on a statement by Pawan Kumar Goenka — the chairman of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) — at a media summit: that “ISRO will not make any launch vehicles and will not manufacture any launch vehicles. That will all be done by the private sector or public-sector undertaking.”
