The Department of Space (DoS) has moved to curb a growing talent drain at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), issuing an internal directive on 14 July that restricts resignations and voluntary retirement requests from scientists and engineers working on mission-critical projects. The intervention follows reports that between 100 and 120 scientific and technical personnel have left the organisation over the past year, raising alarm about institutional knowledge loss at a time of peak mission load.

What the New Directive Says

According to reports, the DoS memorandum dated 14 July mandates that resignation and voluntary retirement applications from Group 'A' scientific and technical staff engaged in strategically important programmes will no longer be processed as routine administrative matters. Instead, centre directors have been instructed to defer approvals until the completion of the projects concerned.

All pending and future exit applications must now be forwarded to the Department of Space in New Delhi, accompanied by recommendations from the respective centre directors, for final clearance. The directive represents a significant rollback of guidelines introduced in November 2020, which had delegated resignation approval authority to ISRO centre directors and unit heads for personnel up to the rank of Scientist/Engineer-SG.

Scale of the Attrition

The attrition has reportedly been concentrated at two of ISRO's most critical facilities. Bengaluru's U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), which anchors India's satellite development programme, has seen close to 80 resignations, while the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram has recorded at least 20 departures.

Among the notable exits are reportedly Victor Joseph, Project Director of the LVM3 launch vehicle programme; the Project Director of SpaDeX, India's inaugural space docking mission; and Aditya Rallapalli, simulation project manager for Chandrayaan-3, who oversaw a team that validated the lunar landing sequence through more than 100,000 simulations.

What ISRO's Chairman Said

ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan acknowledged the resignations but characterised employee turnover as a normal feature of large organisations. He emphasised that the new memorandum is aimed at retaining experienced personnel and ensuring that critical national missions are not disrupted by sudden exits. ISRO has maintained that responsibilities are being reassigned systematically and that flagship programmes, including Gaganyaan, remain on schedule.

Why Scientists Are Leaving

Industry observers attribute the trend primarily to the rapid expansion of India's private space sector, which is offering significantly higher salaries, greater flexibility, and more diverse career trajectories for experienced scientists and engineers. This is not a new challenge for ISRO — official records indicate that nearly half of all fresh recruits left the organisation between 2004 and 2007, and close to 700 employees resigned between 2012 and 2024.

Parliamentary data presented earlier this year further revealed that ISRO's scientific and technical workforce is operating below sanctioned strength, with more than 1,600 vacancies yet to be filled. The combination of active attrition and unfilled positions raises structural questions about capacity at a moment when ISRO is simultaneously pursuing Gaganyaan, future lunar exploration missions, and advanced satellite programmes.

What Happens Next

The centralised approval mechanism is expected to slow down exits in the near term, but observers caution that administrative restrictions alone may not address the underlying pull of private-sector compensation. Whether the DoS pairs this directive with retention incentives — such as revised pay structures or project-linked bonuses — will likely determine its long-term effectiveness. The space agency's ability to sustain mission momentum through its current vacancy crisis will be closely watched in the months ahead.