More than 100 scientists and technical personnel at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have resigned or taken voluntary retirement in recent months, leading the Department of Space (DoS) to introduce stricter rules governing the exit of scientific staff, particularly those working on strategic national missions.
According to reports, the highest number of exits has been recorded at the UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. Estimates suggest that between 100 and 120 scientists and engineers have left ISRO in recent months, including personnel involved in the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme and other strategic projects.
Reports attribute the resignations to factors including comparatively lower government salaries, limited career progression within the public sector, administrative processes, and increasing opportunities in India's growing private space industry. Since the space sector was opened to private companies in 2020, startups and commercial space firms have expanded recruitment of experienced aerospace professionals.
The departures come as ISRO continues work on several major programmes, including Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-4, and the planned Bharatiya Antariksh Station. The revised policy reflects the government's effort to retain specialised scientific talent as India's public and private space sectors continue to expand.
In an internal memorandum dated July 14, the Department of Space directed major ISRO centres, including the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR), ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), to stop routinely approving resignation and voluntary retirement requests from Group 'A' scientific and technical personnel.
The memorandum stated that the growing number of departures had begun affecting the implementation of projects of national importance. Under the revised policy, all resignation or voluntary retirement requests from scientists associated with critical missions, including Gaganyaan, must be forwarded to the Department of Space for final approval along with recommendations from the respective centre directors. The directive reverses a 2020 policy that had delegated approval powers to individual ISRO centres.
