Jitendra Singh,Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences and M RaviChandran,Secretary,Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India at the RISE (Research,Industry,Startup and Entrepreneurship)
Conclave in Chennai.
| Photo Credit:
BIJOY GHOSH
Despite the failure of the PSLV-C62 mission’s last failure last month, the Indian Space Research Organisation remains committed to the launch plans for 2026 and will continue to go ahead with all the 18 planned launches for this year, according to Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences.
He added that the next PSLV launch can be expected by June or July.
Singh was speaking at the Research, Industry, Start-up and Entrepreneurship (RISE) Conclave organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) here on Saturday.
“We have 18 launches planned this year including six private parties and not a single launch has been cancelled or withdrawn. ISRO’s and the PSLV’s credibility continues to be intact. We will launch Vyommitra, the female robot astronaut, to space by the end of this year and are on track for the Gaganyaan Mission next year,” he said, addressing mediapersons on the sidelines of the event.
Addressing the conclave, Singh said that the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s aim is to comprehensively develop the startup ecosystem including in core Indian domains like leather, agriculture beyond just AI and IT sector.
He emphasised that the focus now should be on disseminating the progressive governmental schemes to the innovators across the nation.
The event also saw the signing of multiple Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between CSIR and academic institutions and their incubation centres to strengthen structured collaboration, which included Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy (SASTRA), PSG College of Technology and B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology. He also inaugurated the R&D facility of Larsen & Toubro Limited in Chennai at the event.
two day conclave
The two-day conclave aims to bring together innovation and start-up stakeholders from the grassroots and also foster closer integration among research institutions, industry, academia, and young entrepreneurs.
N Kalaiselvi, Director General of the CSIR and Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) emphasised that the major reform within the National research labs is the increased collaboration and work in synergy between various governmental divisions, academia and industry.
Published on February 14, 2026
