New Delhi: ISRO’s plans to build new rockets to achieve the ambition of its own space station and human spaceflights got a boost on Sunday with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocating Rs 13,705.60 crore for the Department of Space.
The allocation in the Union Budget for 2026-27 is a marginal increase over the budgetary estimate of Rs 13,416 crore for the current fiscal. The Department of Space actually received Rs 12,448.60 crore as per the revised estimates for 2025-26.
In the budget for 2026-27, the allocation of Rs 10,397.06 crore has been made under the head ‘space technology’ which includes support for the activities of various ISRO centres including Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, ISRO Propulsion Complex, and UR Rao Satellite Centre.
The support covers various space technology projects consisting of Launch Vehicle Projects and Satellite Projects, including developmental and operational projects, and IN-SPACe schemes.
Of the total outlay, Rs 7,329.70 crore is revenue expenditure while Rs 6,375.90 crore is capital spending, a jump of nearly Rs 1,066 crore over last year’s revised capital plan. ISRO plans to carry out uncrewed flights of the Gaganyaan mission this year and is also developing the Next Generation Launch Vehicle to launch heavier payloads in orbit.
