A high-level committee investigating the failures of ISRO's PSLV rockets, which have impacted strategic satellite missions, has yet to release its report and recommendations, raising concerns about the future of the ageing launch vehicle.
'He didn't touch upon the core questions raised by the nine employee associations.'
The larger question raised by the associations is simple: If ISRO is no longer to manufacture launch vehicles, what will happen to the institution's accumulated capabilities and the people who built them?
India's move to privatise PSLV rocket production through IN-SPACe has triggered debate over national security, ageing technology and the agency's role.
It is about proving that the agency can still deliver when the stakes are high.
There is no answer to the question of how IN-SPACe invited EOIs for ISRO's mature rockets and whether it was based on any government policy decision.
Nine employee associations at ISRO have written to Chairperson V Narayanan, seeking official clarification on the proposed transfer of manufacturing and operational functions to private entities. They raised concerns about ISRO's future role, employee consequences, and recruitment, following comments by IN-SPACe chairperson Pawan Goenka regarding ISRO's eventual exit from launch vehicle manufacturing.
'It is not economical to operate GSLV-Mk II due to its cost and complexity. Future launches to be managed with LVM3.'
A rocket designed and developed by ISRO is being transferred to industry for production.
Nine ISRO associations want to know whether this is simply an effort to expand India's industrial capacity or part of a larger policy under which ISRO itself will eventually withdraw from rocket manufacturing.
Their message is blunt: Public scientific wealth should not be transferred at what they describe as 'throwaway prices'.capability, recruitment, promotional avenues and the voice of its employees.
The move follows a quiet visit by National Security Advisor Ajit Kumar Doval to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.
'A solid motor, once ignited, burns until the propellant is exhausted. It cannot simply stop mid-burn,' said a retired senior ISRO official. 'That is what makes this failure puzzling.' Venkatachari Jagannathan reports on the latest PSLV failure.
ISRO has successfully launched EOS-05, India's first geo-imaging satellite, into a precise sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit using a GSLV rocket. This 2,367 kg satellite, the heaviest ever carried by a GSLV, will provide real-time imagery for applications in agriculture and disaster management from an altitude of 36,000 km.
'ISRO will not manufacture any launch vehicles. That will all be done by the private sector or public sector undertakings.'
ISRO's PSLV-C62 successfully launched an earth observation satellite along with 14 other commercial payloads from Sriharikota, marking the first launch of the year.
The EoI comes at a time when ISRO is working to enhance LVM3's payload capacity to five tonnes in GTO and is also evaluating the procurement of a Russian semi-cryogenic engine for the vehicle's second stage.
The Department of Space has directed that requests for voluntary retirement or resignation from Group 'A' Scientific and Technical personnel associated with the prestigious Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme and other important missions should not be accepted as a matter of routine.
A PSLV rocket carrying Earth observation satellite EOS-09 failed to launch from the Sriharikota spaceport early on Sunday.
We who were dreaming of being the third largest economy in dollar terms, have slid back to sixth, thanks to the falling rupee. We are moving about with begging bowls for investments and trade opportunities, which will be a while in materialising, if ever, notes Shreekant Sambrani.
In terms of success rate, the PSLV rocket has an enviable record of 57 successful missions out of 58 commercial ones.
A Spanish startup, Orbital Paradigm, claims its payload, KID, survived the failed PSLV-C62 mission and transmitted data, despite ISRO's silence on the matter. The mission, carrying 16 satellites, failed due to issues in the rocket's third stage.
Based on the broadcast visuals, a rocket expert said the failure appeared similar to the anomaly seen during the PSLV-C61 mission.
These upcoming launches carry added significance in light of setbacks suffered in recent years.
ISRO is preparing for the PSLV-C62 mission launch on January 12 from Sriharikota, carrying the EOS-N1 satellite and multiple other payloads.
While India's interplanetary ambitions remain significant, the current pace of financial and technical progress raises questions about whether the 2027-2028 timelines can be met.
ISRO said the upper stage of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle - C37 (PSLV-C37) re-entered the earth's atmosphere on October 6, 2024 and the impact point was the North Atlantic Ocean.
ISRO has announced plans for seven launch missions by March, including the first uncrewed mission for the Gaganyaan project and demonstrations of new satellite technologies.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative involving precision-flying, Indian Space Research Organisation on Thursday successfully launched the Proba-3 mission onboard a PSLV-C59 rocket, a solar experiment undertaken by the European Space Agency.
India is set to take its first steps towards its own human space flight when the uncrewed Gaganyaan mission soars to the skies later this year. Private players in the space sector are also gearing up for launching satellites on home-built rockets.
India will launch the PSLV-C56 carrying DS-SAR satellites from Singapore, along with six co-passenger satellites, from ISRO's Sriharikota spaceport on Sunday, July 30, 2023.
Indian Space Research Organisation is gearing up for one of its busiest times with seven more launches planned this financial year, even as India's first human spaceflight remains scheduled for 2027, its chairman V Narayanan said.
The heaviest communication satellite to be launched from the Indian soil onboard a new generation, homegrown 'Bahubali' rocket was successfully placed into the intended orbit on Sunday, the Indian Space Research Organisation said.
ISRO chairman announces plans for nine major launches by the end of the fiscal year, including the Blue Bird Block2 communication satellite for the US in collaboration with NASA.
Around 23 minutes after lift-off, the primary satellite got separated and it was followed by six other co-passenger satellites, which were deployed into the intended orbits sequentially, ISRO said.
'There's too much coincidence in back-to-back failures of missions critical to national security.'
While the mission is a follow-up to the PSLV-C55 TeLEOS-2 mission launched in April this year, scientists in Sunday's mission will place the fourth stage of the PSLV rocket in a lower orbit.
The 25-hour countdown has begun for the launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation's PSLV-C53 mission in Sriharikota.
Indian Space Research Organisation's 101st mission from Sriharikota, an earth observation satellite onboard the agency's trusted Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket, could not be accomplished on Sunday following a pressure issue in the third stage of the launch vehicle, the space agency said.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in its 63rd mission, would carry the earth observation satellite (EOS-09) which would be capable of capturing high-resolution images of the Earth's surface under all weather conditions.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the fourth edition of the PSLV Orbital platform Experiment Module (POEM-4), used for the space docking experiment mission, has successfully re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. The module, a repurposed spent upper stage of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, impacted at 02:33 UTC (08:03 IST) on April 04, 2025, in the Indian Ocean. This successful re-entry signifies ISRO's commitment to mitigating space debris and contributing to the long-term sustainability of the outer space environment. POEM-4 had hosted 24 payloads during its mission life, yielding valuable science data. ISRO and the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) closely monitored the module's orbit decay and predicted the re-entry date. This event showcases ISRO's proactive approach to responsible space operations.
