ISRO could relaunch PSLV by June or July: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Saturday said that the Indian Space Research Organization’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has not lost confidence due to consecutive failures in recent times and can resume launches from June or July. “We are doing the preliminary work. If everything goes as planned, [the launch] “It could be by June or July,” he told reporters after inaugurating the two-day Research, Industry, Startup and Entrepreneurship Conclave 2026 organized by the Center for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Chennai. Gaganyaan, ISRO’s first crewed space mission, is planned for 2027 and will proceed as planned, he said. The organization was in the final stages of test flights with the humanoid robot Vyommitra. “We have 18 launches in 2026. Not a single launch has been cancelled,” he added, adding that this will likely happen before the end of the year. Apart from this, we have six private parties and they have not withdrawn either,” he said. Speaking about the conclave, Dr. Singh said the Center had announced a Rs 1 lakh crore research, development and innovation fund to help lift entrepreneurs to technology readiness level (TRL) 4. Similarly, soon after moving to its new office, the Prime Minister had announced a fund worth Rs 10,000 crore to support deep tech start-ups. CSIR had also relaxed. Tamil Nadu, Chennai and Coimbatore has two vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems, he said. Earlier, at the inauguration ceremony, Dr. Singh said that the Ministry has stopped working in silos and adopted a more integrated approach to work with the sector. There are ample opportunities for start-ups in climate change-related research, services, sustainability and disaster mitigation, he said at the event. Among those present at the launch were K. Ramesha, Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and Director General, CSIR, N. Anandavalli, Director, CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, P. Thanikaivelan, Director, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Institute and K.J. Sreeram, Scientist H, CSIR.