The Department of Space (DoS) has introduced stricter rules to address a rising number of resignations from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), issuing a new directive aimed at retaining scientists involved in critical national missions, including the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.
An internal memorandum dated July 14, accessed by India Today, instructs ISRO centres not to routinely accept requests for resignation or voluntary retirement from Group 'A' scientific and technical personnel working on Gaganyaan and other strategically important missions.
Instead, all such requests must now be forwarded to the Department of Space for final approval.
The directive comes amid growing concerns over the departure of experienced scientists from the space agency.
Although the Department of Space has not officially disclosed the number of resignations, multiple ISRO sources told The Times of India that between 100 and 120 scientists may have left the organisation in recent months.
According to the report, nearly 80 scientists have resigned from the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru, while around 20 have left the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram. Sources indicated that the actual number could be higher, as several resignation requests are still under consideration.
The reported departures include several senior scientists associated with high-profile missions. 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 responsible for generating nearly 25 terabytes of mission data through more than one lakh simulations to validate the spacecraft's historic lunar landing sequence.
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan acknowledged the resignations but sought to reassure that the organisation remains capable of managing the transition.
"Yes, a lot of people leave, but that is part of every organisation. The objective is not only to retain people but also to ensure that critical projects are not affected suddenly. If someone leaves, another person will take responsibility. We are managing the situation," he told The Times of India.
The internal memorandum itself reflects the organisation's concern over the trend.
"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 the implementation of projects of national importance," the order states.
The directive effectively reverses an administrative reform introduced in November 2020, which had delegated powers to ISRO centre directors to approve resignations and voluntary retirement requests for scientists up to the Scientist/Engineer-SG level.
Under the revised policy, centre directors have been instructed not to approve such requests until critical missions are completed. All cases must now be referred to the Department of Space for a final decision.
While the resignations represent only a small fraction of ISRO's workforce of over 14,600 employees, officials are particularly concerned because many of those leaving are closely associated with flagship programmes.
The challenge is not merely filling vacant positions but replacing years of specialised expertise developed through complex missions such as Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan and SpaDeX.
Employee 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 organisation's new recruits reportedly left between 2004 and 2007.
ISRO's latest annual report states that recruitment is currently underway for more than 1,050 scientific, technical and administrative positions. The agency is also implementing a cadre restructuring exercise that has regularised hundreds of project-based posts.
However, the Department of Space's latest intervention highlights growing recognition that while vacancies can be filled through recruitment, replacing experienced scientists with years of mission-specific knowledge is far more difficult.
With major programmes such as Gaganyaan, the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station and future lunar exploration missions on the horizon, retaining institutional expertise has become as important as advancing new space technologies.
