"ISRO Never Competes With Anybody": Top Space Agency Official

Sudheer Kumar, Director, Capacity Building and Public Outreach, Indian Space Research Organisation, said on Sunday that ISRO never competes with anybody and flourishes well in collaboration with the other space agencies.

He was responding to the possibility of ISRO becoming a global hub for rocket launches in the future.

Speaking to news agency ANI on the sidelines of an event in Bengaluru on Sunday, he said, "ISRO never competes with anybody. It is a space community. And especially, the space community will flourish well with the collaborations. We are collaborating with NASA and other space agencies."

"And growing together is the best option," he added.

India became the fourth country to make a successful robotic moon landing last year with its Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Later, it successfully launched the Aditya-L1, India's first solar mission. These milestones not only secured India's standing in the global space economy but also fueled the engines for the private space sector in India.

Replying to a query, he said, "A couple of years ago, the government of India announced space reforms. Since then, the Indian industry has been growing fast. It is also occupying global business. Many startups have seen expanding their offices in Europe, South African and South American countries, and the Middle East.

"So, we do not have any doubt that today ISRO is going into the world market in a big way," the top ISRO official added.

Meanwhile, the launch of ISRO's meteorological satellite INSAT-3DS, aiming to enhance meteorological observations and help in better weather forecasting and disaster warning, is scheduled for February 17.

ISRO, in a post on X on Thursday, said that the satellite will be launched onboard a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle F14 (GSLV F14).

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)