Why is ISRO making it harder for scientists to resign? | Explained

The Department of Space (DoS) has tightened exit rules for scientists working on India’s most important space missions after a spate of resignations from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Under a July 14 memorandum, scientists and engineers associated with Gaganyaan and other major programmes will no longer be allowed to leave through voluntary retirement or resignation as a matter of routine. Instead, every such request must be referred to the Department of Space for a final decision. The move follows the departure of around 100 scientists in recent months from some of ISRO’s most strategically important centres.Why has the government tightened ISRO’s exit rules?The memorandum leaves little doubt about the government’s concern. It says there has been a “spate of requests for voluntary retirement and resignation” from Group ‘A’ scientific and technical personnel, including those associated with “prestigious Gaganyaan and other important missions/projects”, which is “severely impacting implementation of projects of national importance.”To prevent disruption, ISRO centres have been instructed not to accept such requests routinely until these missions are completed. Even cases involving scientists up to the Scientist/Engineer-SG level must now be forwarded to the Department of Space, along with recommendations from centre directors, for a final decision.The order effectively reverses a 2020 delegation of powers that had allowed ISRO centre directors to independently approve such resignations and voluntary retirements. The government, on the face of it, seems unperturbed. Minister of State for Space Jitendra Singh downplayed suggestions of a manpower crisis. “As many go, that many will come,” Mr. Singh said on the subject, adding that “the project shouldn’t suffer. The team is large — nobody is going away — they come and go. The memo was issued so that decisions can be taken at a much more mature level.”Is ISRO facing a manpower crisis?The recent resignations have renewed attention on vacancies within India’s space agency. According to figures cited in Parliament earlier this year, ISRO has a sanctioned strength of 18,142 employees but around 2,613 posts remain vacant. Of these, 1,636 vacancies are in scientific and technical positions. Recruitment is under way for 1,449 posts, with the government saying the process is expected to be completed by October 2026.The latest departures, however, are concentrated in strategically important centres rather than across the organisation. Reports indicate that nearly 80 scientists have left the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru and around 20 from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. Several senior mission leaders have resigned, highlighting that replacing experienced personnel is far more difficult than filling vacant posts.ISRO’s own annual report notes that recruitment is advancing and that hundreds of project posts have recently been regularised. Yet the Department of Space’s decision suggests that institutional knowledge accumulated over years on missions such as Gaganyaan cannot be replaced quickly.Why has the order drawn criticism?Although the memorandum is administrative in nature, many in India’s space community view it as reflecting an older, more restrictive approach to managing scientific talent.Scientists employed by the government remain free to resign or seek voluntary retirement under service rules. Critics argue that making exits more difficult does little to address the underlying reasons why experienced personnel may choose to leave, such as better salaries, faster career progression, opportunities to lead ambitious programmes and access to stock options in private companies.The concern is especially acute because modern space programmes increasingly depend on highly specialised expertise that cannot be replaced immediately through fresh recruitment. Rather than relying on administrative controls, critics argue that retaining talent requires making ISRO a more competitive employer in an ecosystem where government laboratories now compete directly with well-funded private space companies.What role is India’s private space sector playing?The timing of the order coincides with the rapid expansion of India’s commercial space ecosystem following sectoral reforms introduced in recent years. Private companies are no longer limited to supplying components but are building launch vehicles, satellites and downstream services.That transformation will be on display on Saturday (July 18, 2026) when Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace attempts the maiden flight of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket, from Sriharikota. The launch represents a milestone for India’s commercial space ambitions and illustrates how private firms are now capable of undertaking work once associated almost exclusively with ISRO.Many of these companies have been founded by former ISRO scientists and actively recruit experienced personnel from the agency. They offer engineers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge programmes, often with greater flexibility and significantly higher compensation.At the same time, ISRO has long maintained a culture of drawing upon the expertise of retired scientists, who frequently continue to advise or support ongoing missions. The government has pointed to this tradition as evidence that institutional knowledge is retained even after formal retirement.Yet the changing landscape is also evident in the career paths of senior leaders. Former ISRO chairman S. Somanath, who played a central role in Chandrayaan-3 and Gaganyaan, has joined private launch company Agnikul Cosmos as an adviser — underscoring how the boundaries between India’s public and private space sectors are becoming increasingly fluid.