Employees of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) have sought clarity on government’s space sector privatisation policy, the body’s future role and future recruitment. The five-page letter, directed to ISRO an…

Employees of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) have sought clarity on government’s space sector privatisation policy, the body’s future role and future recruitment. The five-page letter, directed to ISRO and Department of Science (DoS) secretary V Narayanan and dated September 4, was accessed by DH. It has been signed by nine associations representing thousands of ISRO employees,who asked for clarification on the proposed transfer of the space agency’s manufacturing and operational functions to private entities. The nine associations include 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.Eye in the sky: ISRO successfully launches India’s first-ever imaging satellite EOS-05These associations represent around 5,000 employees, or about 27 per cent of ISRO’s stated workforce of 18,100.The letter was submitted on the same day as the launch of the historic GSLV-F17 carrying EOS-05 from Sriharikota, which is an Earth observation spacecraft and India’s first-ever imaging satellite from Geosynchronous orbit, according to ISRO.This comes after Pawan Kumar Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), said at a recent event that “eventually, Isro will not make any launch vehicles and will not manufacture any launch vehicles. That will all be done by the private sector or PSU.”, the letter mentions. The transition to private sectors contributing has already begun with Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), they said, and could extend to the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and LVM3. The employees also flagged reports of the proposed transfer of production of these launch vehicles, the movement of routine satellite manufacturing out of ISRO and the opening of new launch infrastructure, including the Space Launch Complex at Kulasekarapattinam, to private entities. The letter referred to about 120 technologies already transferred from Isro to the private sector.Former ISRO Chairman S Somanath calls for larger AI models to address India’s social problems“These statements have received wide national publicity. They have not, however, been accompanied by any corresponding official communication from the Department of Space to its employees explaining the approved policy, its legal and administrative basis, its phasing, or its consequences for the existing workforce and for future public recruitment,” the letter said.It further said that the possibility of ISRO withdrawing from launch-vehicle and satellite production had created anxiety among employees and their families. They said such a move could “tamper experiments after research, shrink in-house work, freeze or reduce sanctioned strength, and close promotion and skill-development avenues in technical, scientific, administrative, stores, purchase, quality, safety and industrial cadres”.“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 said.In July, there were reports of talent drain in ISRO, with over 120 scientists having quit to join private sector. The resignations reportedly included senior personnel who worked on successful projects in the past. These reportedly include LVM-3 project director, the SpaDeX project director and Chandrayaan-3’s project manager for simulations. Even former chief Somanath S has joined Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos as an observer on its board of directors.

Source: Deccan Herald