Employees of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have questioned the Union government’s opening up the space sector to private firms, saying that they, as employees, had a right to be informed about the government’s intentions.
In a written representation to the Department of Space (DoS) dated September 4, employees said, “Private participation in defined commercial activities can coexist with a strong, publicly owned ISRO. What cannot be accepted without debate is a policy that reduces ISRO to a residual R&D boutique while the realisation of the nation’s launch vehicles and the operation of its launch infrastructure pass out of public hands.”
According to ToI, the representation was signed by nine bodies, 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.
The representation has sought a written response from the chairman of the Space Commission on the concerns raised.
The statement also referred to recent remarks made by Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre(IN-SPACe) chairman Pawan Goenka about ISRO eventually ceasing to manufacture launch vehicles, and sought to know whether that was the Union government’s official stance. “If approved, the date, authority and text of the policy decision may be kindly indicated,” the statement said.
The letter continued in a similar vein, demanding to know the roles that ISRO employees would have in future. For ISRO, the making of launch vehicles was not just a “manufacturing contract” but the organisation’s “core competence, institutional memory and strategic capability”.
Employees also expressed concern that existing employees would be “rendered surplus” or “left without meaningful work while the same tasks are performed by private contractors using publicly developed technology”.
They also pointed out that regular appointments to all posts across categories would decline further.
ISRO was recently at the centre of concern after media houses reported on the high attrition rate among scientists. Although ISRO did not disclose numbers, media houses estimate that between 100-120 from key programmes had quit over a period of a few months earlier this year.
ISRO has since tightened voluntary retirement norms and resignations by scientists working on crucial missions such as the Gaganyaan.