New Delhi: The Department of Space (DoS) has tightened rules governing resignations and voluntary retirement of scientists working on India’s flagship space programmes, following a surge in exits from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

In a memorandum issued on July 14, the DoS directed major ISRO centres, including the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, not to routinely accept resignation or voluntary retirement requests from Group ‘A’ scientific and technical personnel associated with the Gaganyaan mission and other critical national projects.

The directive noted that an increasing number of scientists and engineers linked to key missions had sought voluntary retirement or resignation, affecting the execution of projects of national importance.

“Of late, it is noticed that there has been a spate of requests for voluntary retirement and resignation from Group ‘A’ Scientific/Technical personnel of ISRO, including those associated with the prestigious Gaganyaan and other important missions/projects, severely impacting the implementation of projects of national importance,” the memorandum stated.

The department said such requests should no longer be processed as a matter of routine. Instead, all applications from scientific and technical personnel involved in Gaganyaan and other major missions—including those at or below the rank of Scientist/Engineer-SG—must be forwarded to the Department of Space with recommendations from the respective centre directors for a final decision.

The order effectively reverses a 2020 administrative decision that had delegated the authority to approve such resignations and voluntary retirements to ISRO centre directors.

The directive has also been issued to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Space Applications Centre (SAC), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), and the Master Control Facility (MCF).

Scientists joining private space sector

The move comes amid reports that more than 100 scientists and engineers have resigned from ISRO in recent months, with URSC and VSSC recording the highest number of departures.

Among those who left is senior scientist Victor Joseph T, former Project Director of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk III, also known as LVM3. He reportedly resigned in February after leading the launch vehicle project for over a year. LVM3 is the launch vehicle designated for India’s ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.

Several former ISRO scientists are believed to have joined India’s rapidly expanding private space industry following the opening of the sector to private participation in 2020 and the introduction of the Indian Space Policy in 2023.

India now has more than 400 registered space startups, which have attracted investments of around $500 million, including nearly $150 million in 2025 alone. Companies such as Pixxel, Dhruva Space, Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos and Bellatrix Aerospace have emerged as major players in the sector.

Recent mission setbacks

The staffing concerns come at a time when ISRO has also faced setbacks in some of its recent missions.

Its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), long regarded as the agency’s workhorse launcher, suffered two mission failures within a year.

In January, the PSLV-C62 mission carrying the EOS-N1 Earth observation satellite and commercial payloads deviated from its planned trajectory following disturbances during the third stage of flight.

Earlier, in May 2025, the PSLV-C61 mission carrying the EOS-09 (RISAT-1B) satellite failed to reach its intended orbit after a sudden drop in chamber pressure during the third stage, resulting in the loss of the radar imaging satellite.

Despite these setbacks, ISRO continues to focus on several high-profile missions, including Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-4, the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Station (India’s planned space station), and Mangalyaan-2, India’s next Mars exploration mission.