New Delhi: A Parliamentary Committee has criticised the Department of Space (DOS) and ISRO for persistent underutilisation of funds, resulting in reduced budgetary allocations that risk delaying India’s space ambitions. The committee observed that the DOS projected an outlay of Rs 15,604 crore for 2026-27, but received only 87.2 per cent of the demand, or Rs 13,705 crore. This reduction was a consequence of poor expenditure in the previous financial year, where allocation was revised down. Not spending the allocated funds in one year, results in reduced spending in the subsequent year as well. Several associated institutions, including IN-SPACe, IIST and PRL received lower allocations as well.

The committee recommended the clearing of additional funds during the revised estimates stage to support critical communications and developmental services. While the DOS has historically achieved between 96 and 98 per cent utilisation, some bodies, including the HSFC, IIRS, ISTRAC, LEOS, MCF and IN-SPACe did not even use 75 per cent of their allocated funds. While the general public criticises the government for not allocating sufficient funds to ISRO, the space agency has not even been able to use the allocated funds. The committee has called for quarterly monitoring and timely disbursements as corrective actions.

Slow progress on missions

Human resource shortages are acute due to vacancies accumulated since 2020-21, which the DOS attributes to the COVID-19 pandemic. The DOS plans to fill 2,383 posts by December 2026. The committee has called for mission-mode efforts to address the full backlog. The combination of a large number of vacancies and underutilisation of funds have resulted in the slow progress of key programmes, with progress on flagship missions lagging. Expenditure on the Gaganyaan programme, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) and the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) has all been slow.

The Chandrayaan 4 mission saw allocation slashed from Rs 150 crore to Rs 21 crore because of limited spending. The Chandrayaan-5/LUPEX mission and Venus Orbiter Mission recorded even lower utilisation. The committee recommended proactive measures and robust monitoring to meet the timelines, and stay on track for the Space Vision 2047 roadmap. The DOS maintains only eight out of 12 NAVIC satellites are functional, with some crippled by faulty atomic clocks procured from Europe. Actually, only three satellites are providing Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services. The committee has recommended full switchover to indigenous clocks and timely satellite replacements. DOS has committed to proactively work towards making the NAVIC constellation operational again.

Need for stronger commercialisation

The committee highlighted over-reliance on ageing launch pads at Sriharikota, and recommended a 30-year assessment of future infrastructure needs, while ensuring timeline operationalisation of the third launch pad at Sriharikota and the Kulasekarapattinam launch complex for small rockets. It also called for prioritising the development of the semicryogenic engine.

The commercial arm of ISRO, NSIL has seen a sharp decline in turnover. The committee advised stronger commercialisation and revenue generation. It criticised the low pricing of technology transfers to private players, and recommended that the licensing fees be aligned to the market, with new proposed guidelines and third-party audits. The committee also recommended supporting domestic startups to reduce dependence on foreign vendors for critical components.