India’s 50-Launch Goal: IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka Maps Out ISRO, Private Sector Roles

IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka has said India is aiming for 50 space launches a year by 2030, a target he said would require the government and private industry to build the sector together.

His comments come days after nine employee associations across the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sought written clarification from Chairman V Narayanan over the agency’s future role amid the increasing participation of private companies in the space sector.

In a post on X, Goenka said India’s decision to open the space sector to private players five years ago had two objectives — allowing ISRO to focus on new technological frontiers while enabling private industry to build capabilities at scale. His latest remarks offer a clearer picture of how he sees these roles evolving.

Private Industry To Drive Scale-Up

Goenka said India now has more than 450 space startups, compared with only a handful five years ago, while Indian private industry has also successfully flown a rocket to orbit.

The next challenge, he said, is scaling up this ecosystem. Achieving 50 launches annually by 2030 would require a major expansion in rocket and satellite manufacturing, launch infrastructure and related technologies.

“A goal of this scale cannot be achieved by one organisation alone,” Goenka said, adding that government and private industry would have to work together to build the required capacity.

The target comes as employee associations have been seeking clarity on the extent to which activities currently undertaken by ISRO could move to private companies or public-sector undertakings.

ISRO To Focus On Research, New Technologies

Goenka said ISRO’s research would continue to “push the frontiers of what is possible”, while private industry would be expected to translate that technological progress into manufacturing at scale.

That would mean producing more rockets and satellites, expanding launch capacity and developing new technologies to create what Goenka described as a complete space ecosystem.

His post did not directly refer to the employee associations’ representation. However, the division of responsibilities he outlined addresses the broader question at the centre of their concerns — how ISRO’s research role would coexist with a larger manufacturing and operational role for industry.

Goenka also highlighted the growth of India’s space ecosystem, saying the opportunity was to “build in India, launch from India and serve the world from India.” The comments come as the country seeks to expand its space economy and strengthen private-sector participation while retaining ISRO’s role in advanced research and technology development.