Over 100 Isro scientists part of missions like Gaganyaan quit, exit to be tightened

The Department of Space has tightened approval rules for resignations and voluntary retirement by Isro scientists linked to Gaganyaan and other key missions. The move follows a rise in exits by experienced personnel, raising concern over the loss of mission-specific expertise.

In Short

• A July 14 memo routes sensitive personnel exits to department approval
• Most reported departures came from URSC Bengaluru and VSSC
• Between 100 and 120 scientists may have resigned in recent months

The Department of Space (DoS) has moved to stem a growing wave of resignations from the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), issuing a fresh directive, accessed by IndiaToday.in that tightens rules governing voluntary retirement and resignations by scientists working on critical national missions, including the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme,.

An internal memorandum dated July 14 directs Isro centres not to routinely accept resignation or voluntary retirement requests from Group 'A' scientific and technical personnel associated with Gaganyaan and other strategically important missions.

Instead, all such requests must now be referred to the Department of Space for final approval.

The move comes amid what Isro officials have described as a significant outflow of experienced scientists.

While the Department of Space has not officially disclosed the number of departures, multiple 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 U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru, while around 20 departures have been reported from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram. Sources indicated that the actual number could be even higher, with additional resignations currently under evaluation.

The departures reportedly include several senior and high-profile scientists. Among them are LVM3 Project Director Victor Joseph, the SpaDeX Project Director from URSC, and Aditya Rallapalli, a key Chandrayaan-3 scientist who led the simulation team that generated nearly 25 terabytes of mission data through more than 1,00,000 simulations, helping validate the spacecraft's historic lunar landing sequence.

Isro Chairman V. Narayanan acknowledged the resignations but sought to downplay concerns, saying the organisation remained equipped to manage 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 IndiaToday.in, itself reflects growing 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.

The directive effectively reverses an administrative reform introduced in November 2020, which had delegated authority to Isro centre directors to approve resignations and voluntary retirements for scientists up to the Scientist/Engineer-SG level.

Under the new rules, directors have been instructed not to accept such requests until critical missions are completed, with all cases requiring approval from the Department of Space.

Although the departures account for a relatively small share of Isro's workforce of more than 14,600 employees, officials are particularly concerned because many of those leaving are attached to flagship programmes.

The challenge lies not in replacing vacant positions, but in replacing years of mission-specific expertise accumulated through complex projects such as Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan and SpaDeX.

Attrition is not entirely new to Isro. Official figures show that around 700 employees resigned between 2012 and 2024, while nearly half of the agency's new recruits reportedly left between 2004 and 2007.

Isro's latest annual report notes that recruitment for more than 1,050 scientific, technical and administrative posts is currently underway, alongside a cadre restructuring that has regularised hundreds of project positions.

However, the latest intervention by the Department of Space points to a growing recognition that filling vacancies is far easier than replacing experienced scientists leading India's most ambitious space missions.

With Gaganyaan, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and future lunar exploration plans on the horizon, retaining institutional knowledge has become as critical as developing new technologies.

- Ends