Termination of Team India contract won’t affect ties with pvt firms: ISRO chief

Sivan said ISRO’s partnerships with industry was already flourishing and would continue to grow. (ANI Twitter)

A DAY after it was announced that ISRO would not offer its launch services to carry a Bangalore-based private company’s moon mission as had been planned, K Sivan, the new chairman of India’s space agency, said cancellation of one deal was no reflection of ISRO’s willingness to partner with private sector in space exploration. Sivan said ISRO’s partnerships with industry was already flourishing and would continue to grow.

“I cannot comment on the specific matter of (the cancellation of contract with) Team Indus (the private company which was supposed to send a moon mission on ISRO’s rocket) as I am new (to the job). It (the cancellation) has already happened, and I understand it was required. I do not think it will have any impact ISRO’s ongoing or future missions or works,” Sivan said in a telephonic interview with The Indian Express.

Team Indus, a Bangalore start-up, was one of the shortlisted participants in the Google Lunar XPrize contest, as part of which it was supposed to send a spacecraft to the moon. The launch was earlier planned for December 2017 to meet the end of the year deadline. The deadline was later extended to March 31 this year.