# Ex-ISRO chief warns IN-SPACe overreach threatens agency 2026-08-13T16:56:21+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair has accused the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) of acting beyond its mandate by calling bids for ISRO's rockets and the upcoming spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu. The Federal reports Nair said the regulator's interference in ISRO and NewSpace India Ltd's activities poses an existential challenge to the agency. He pointed to a pattern of crises after major ISRO milestones, citing the 1994 espionage scandal after PSLV success and the Antrix-Devas controversy after Chandrayaan-1. Meanwhile, IN-SPACe has invited Expressions of Interest for private operation of the new spaceport, aiming for nearly 24 launches a year. A senior IN-SPACe official told India Today that the facility, spread over 2,000 acres, is primarily meant for private launch providers like Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos. The handover will be gradual, with safety oversight remaining with IN-SPACe. Nair, however, warned that no space law exists yet to govern technology transfers with dual-use applications, and called for a legal framework before such moves. ## Coverage - thefederal.com - freepressjournal.in Tags: G Madhavan Nair, IN-SPACe, ISRO, privatisation, space law, space regulation Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/in-space-overreach-threatens-isros-future-says-former-chief/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/in-space-overreach-threatens-isros-future-says-former-chief/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.