In mid-July 2026, the Department of Space (DoS) issued a firm internal memorandum aimed at stemming a wave of resignations that had begun to disrupt work on some of India’s most important space programmes. Reports indicated that between 100 and 120 Group ‘A’ scientific and technical personnel had left the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in recent months. The departures, concentrated at key centres, raised concerns about continuity on high-stakes projects, particularly India’s first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, along with related efforts such as LVM3 development, SpaDeX, and follow-on lunar work.
The bulk of the exits occurred at two major facilities. Roughly 80 scientists and engineers departed from the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru, while at least 20 left the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram. Among those who stepped down were several senior figures whose expertise was tightly linked to ongoing programmes. These included the LVM3 Project Director (Victor Joseph from VSSC), the SpaDeX Project Director at URSC, and Aditya Rallapalli, who had managed critical simulation work for Chandrayaan-3—work that generated tens of terabytes of data across more than 100,000 tests to validate the lunar landing sequence. While these numbers represent only a modest share of ISRO’s overall workforce of more than 14,600, their concentration in specialised roles on nationally significant missions made the impact disproportionate.
Industry observers and sources within the space ecosystem largely attribute the departures to the rapid expansion of India’s private space sector. Since the sector was opened more fully around 2020, hundreds of startups have emerged, offering substantially higher salaries, faster career progression, and leadership positions that many mid- and senior-level ISRO scientists found attractive. The gap between government pay scales and private-sector packages, combined with the appeal of greater operational freedom in commercial environments, appears to have driven much of the movement. ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan acknowledged the exits as a normal feature of large organisations while stating that the agency remained equipped to manage the transitions.In response, the DoS circulated a memorandum dated 14 July 2026. The directive instructed directors of ISRO centres and heads of units that resignation and Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) requests from Group ‘A’ scientific and technical staff associated with Gaganyaan and other critical missions should no longer be accepted as a routine administrative matter. Instead, such requests must be escalated to the Department of Space, accompanied by the centre director’s recommendations, for a final decision. The order effectively reversed a 2020 administrative change that had delegated greater authority to centre directors for personnel up to the Scientist/Engineer-SG level. The memorandum explicitly noted that the recent “spate of requests” risked severely impacting projects of national importance.
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh sought to downplay suggestions of a crisis. He described the new protocols as purely administrative measures designed to ensure decisions are taken “at a much more mature level” and to safeguard project continuity. “Many have gone, many have come,” he remarked, emphasising that ISRO’s large workforce experiences regular personnel movement and that institutional systems remain in place to keep missions on track. Officials have also pointed out that recruitment drives continue; by August 2026 the organisation and DoS had opened applications for hundreds of posts amid broader staffing pressures that some reports described as the highest vacancy levels in 25 years.The episode highlights a structural tension facing India’s space programme. On one side stands the need to retain deep institutional knowledge for complex, multi-year missions such as Gaganyaan, the proposed Indian space station, and next-generation launch vehicles. On the other lies the healthy growth of a competitive private sector that is absorbing experienced talent and accelerating commercial capabilities. The DoS intervention prioritises short-term continuity for flagship efforts, yet longer-term questions remain about pay structures, career incentives, organisational autonomy, and how best to balance public-sector mission focus with the dynamism of private industry. For now, the centralised clearance process aims to prevent sudden gaps in critical teams while ISRO works to absorb the recent losses and advance its ambitious roadmap.