Centre changes ISRO resignation rules amid exodus of experienced scientists

The Department of Space (DoS) has stepped in to address a rising number of resignations at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), issuing a fresh directive that tightens the process for scientists seeking voluntary retirement or resignation while working on key national programmes, including the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.

A memorandum dated July 14 instructs ISRO centres not to routinely approve resignation or voluntary retirement requests from Group 'A' scientific and technical personnel involved in Gaganyaan and other strategically significant missions.

Resignations hit key missions

Instead, every such request must now be sent to the Department of Space for final clearance. The move follows what officials have described as a noticeable increase in the exit of experienced scientists, according to a report by India Today.

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While the Department of Space has not officially revealed how many scientists have left, several ISRO sources told The Times of India that between 100 and 120 scientists may have resigned in recent months.

According to the report, nearly 80 scientists have left the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru, while about 20 have resigned from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram. Sources said the actual figure could be even higher, with more resignation requests still under consideration.

The departures are said to include several senior and prominent scientists. Among them are LVM3 Project Director Victor Joseph, the SpaDeX Project Director from URSC, and Aditya Rallapalli, a key Chandrayaan-3 scientist who headed the simulation team that produced nearly 25 terabytes of mission data through over 1,00,000 simulations, helping validate the spacecraft’s historic lunar landing sequence.

ISRO chief reassures amid exits

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan acknowledged the resignations but sought to play down concerns, saying the organisation was capable of handling the transition.

“Yes, a lot of people go, but that's part of every organisation. The move isn't only to retain, but also to ensure that important projects don't suffer all of a sudden. If someone is still going, someone else will take responsibility. We're taking care of it,” he was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

The memorandum accessed by India Today itself points to increasing concern within the space agency.

“It is noticed that there has been a spate of requests for voluntary retirement and resignation from Group 'A' scientific/technical personnel including those associated with prestigious Gaganyaan and other important missions/projects, severely impacting implementation of projects of national importance,” the order states.

Exit approvals now centralised

The latest directive effectively rolls back an administrative change introduced in November 2020, which had delegated powers to ISRO centre directors to approve resignations and voluntary retirements for scientists up to the Scientist/Engineer-SG level.

Under the revised rules, centre directors have been told not to approve such requests until critical missions are completed, and every case must now be referred to the Department of Space for approval.

Although the departures represent only a small fraction of ISRO's workforce of more than 14,600 employees, officials are particularly worried because many of those leaving are part of flagship missions.

The concern is not simply about filling vacant posts, but about replacing years of specialised experience built through complex programmes such as Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan and SpaDeX.

Retaining expertise remain crucial

Attrition is not a new issue for ISRO. Official data shows that around 700 employees resigned between 2012 and 2024, while nearly half of the agency’s newly recruited employees reportedly left between 2004 and 2007.

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ISRO’s latest annual report says recruitment is underway for more than 1,050 scientific, technical and administrative posts, alongside a cadre restructuring exercise that has regularised hundreds of project positions.

Even so, the Department of Space’s latest intervention reflects a growing acknowledgement that recruiting new personnel is far easier than replacing experienced scientists leading India’s most ambitious space missions.

With Gaganyaan, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and future lunar exploration missions in the pipeline, preserving institutional knowledge has become just as important as advancing new technologies.