100+ scientists linked to Gaganyaan, other missions quit Isro; DoS puts brakes on resignations: Report

A fresh intervention by the Department of Space has brought attention to the strain caused by a recent wave of departures from Isro’s flagship programmes, with scientists linked to Gaganyaan and other critical missions now facing tighter rules on resignations and voluntary retirement, according to a report by The Times of India.

Through an internal memorandum dated July 14, the department has moved to curb exits from key projects after what multiple Isro sources told TOI was a substantial number of departures. While the department has not disclosed the figure officially, sources said the number was at least between 100 and 120.

“Around 80 people have quit from URSC alone. At VSSC, at least 20 people have left. Overall, it could be roughly up to 120, conservatively. There could be more that are at the evaluation stage,” a source said.

Another source said the departures included key personnel like LVM-3 project director Victor Joseph from VSSC. “SpaDeX project director quit from URSC. A very bright young person who was part of Chandrayaan-3 has also quit,” the source said.

Isro chairman V Narayanan acknowledged the departures but said the agency was prepared to deal with them. “Yes, a lot of people go, but that’s part of every organisation. The move [memorandum] isn’t only to retain, but also to ensure that important projects don’t suffer all of a sudden. But if someone is still going, someone else will take responsibility. We’re taking care of it,” he told TOI.

Numbers small, projects big

Although the recent departures are a small fraction of Isro’s workforce of more than 14,600, they have come from strategically important centres. URSC had 1,339 employees, while VSSC had 4,577 at the end of the last fiscal. The concern has centred on the loss of people working on key missions.

The memorandum states: “Of late, 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.”

Directors’ power reversed

The memorandum adds that resignation and voluntary retirement requests from scientists associated with Gaganyaan and other important missions “may not be accepted as a matter of routine”. Centre directors have been advised not to accept such requests until those projects are completed.

Instead, all such cases must be referred to the department of space, along with the director’s recommendations, for a final decision. The order reverses a 2020 administrative change that had allowed Isro centre directors and heads of units to accept such requests from Group A scientific and technical personnel up to scientist/engineer-SG level.

Attrition not new

Attrition is not new to Isro, nor can it be attributed only to opportunities in the private space sector. Between 2004 and 2007, nearly half of the agency’s new recruits quit, as reported earlier by TOI. Official figures also show that around 700 employees resigned between 2012 and 2024. Isro’s 2025-26 annual report says recruitment for around 1,050 scientific, technical and administrative posts is at an advanced stage, while a cadre review approved last year has regularised 466 project posts and created about 460 higher-grade positions.