Now Reading: Ex-ISRO chief warns IN-SPACe overreach threatens agency
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Ex-ISRO chief warns IN-SPACe overreach threatens agency
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
Two narratives compete here: one calls IN-SPACe a regulator overstepping to privatise ISRO's crown jewels; the other says private operation of a facility built for private launches is a logical step under the Space Policy 2023. Both sides have a point, but the absence of a space law governing technology transfers is a genuine risk. The real test will be whether the private operator can meet ISRO's safety standards during the hand-holding phase, and whether Parliament enacts a space law before the next big asset is tendered out.
Sources (2): thefederal.com, freepressjournal.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
