The Department of Space has issued a new office memorandum, instructing ISRO directors to deny requests for voluntary retirement and resignations from scientific and technical personnel, particularly those involved in critical projects like Gaganyaan, until these missions are completed, with all such approvals now requiring Department of Space oversight, a measure prompted by a significant outflow of over 100 scientists, including key figures from prestigious missions such as Chandrayaan-3 and LVM3, to lucrative opportunities in the burgeoning private space sector, a trend that experts acknowledge as a natural evolution in a rapidly expanding ecosystem, while simultaneously highlighting the invaluable experience of these departing scientists for ISRO's ambitious national projects and the need for continuity, knowledge transfer, and capacity building within the agency, even as ISRO reports its ongoing projects remain on track and compares its attrition rates to those of NASA.

The Department of Space has issued a new office memorandum, instructing ISRO directors to deny requests for voluntary retirement and resignations from scientific and technical personnel, particularly those involved in critical projects like Gaganyaan, until these missions are completed, with all such approvals now requiring Department of Space oversight, a measure prompted by a significant outflow of over 100 scientists, including key figures from prestigious missions such as Chandrayaan-3 and LVM3, to lucrative opportunities in the burgeoning private space sector, a trend that experts acknowledge as a natural evolution in a rapidly expanding ecosystem, while simultaneously highlighting the invaluable experience of these departing scientists for ISRO's ambitious national projects and the need for continuity, knowledge transfer, and capacity building within the agency, even as ISRO reports its ongoing projects remain on track and compares its attrition rates to those of NASA.

The Department of Space has issued a new office memorandum, instructing ISRO directors to deny requests for voluntary retirement and resignations from scientific and technical personnel, particularly those involved in critical projects like Gaganyaan, until these missions are completed, with all such approvals now requiring Department of Space oversight, a measure prompted by a significant outflow of over 100 scientists, including key figures from prestigious missions such as Chandrayaan-3 and LVM3, to lucrative opportunities in the burgeoning private space sector, a trend that experts acknowledge as a natural evolution in a rapidly expanding ecosystem, while simultaneously highlighting the invaluable experience of these departing scientists for ISRO's ambitious national projects and the need for continuity, knowledge transfer, and capacity building within the agency, even as ISRO reports its ongoing projects remain on track and compares its attrition rates to those of NASA.

The exit of more than 100 ISRO scientists, especially those associated with prestigious projects such as Gaganyaan, has been taken with utmost concern by the Department of Space (DoS), which earlier this week issued an office memorandum to stem further exit of ISRO scientists. According to the memorandum, ISRO directors have been instructed not to accept such requests until critical missions are completed, with all cases requiring approval from the DoS.

"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 memorandum stated.

According to reports, many senior scientists have recently quit ISRO, including LVM3 Project Director Victor Joseph, the SpaDeX Project Director from URSC, and Aditya Rallapalli, who was part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Will DoS memorandum have an impact?

Sources at ISRO, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the memorandum is expected to slow the exit of scientists working on prestigious projects, many of whom are finding it difficult to resist the lure of lucrative packages offered by private space firms.

"Even though many scientists work on prestigious projects, they receive only a fixed salary and emoluments, which are much lower than what private space firms offer. Many scientists who have left ISRO have joined private space companies as consultants for significantly higher pay packages. Though the pressure of work exists in space startups as well, some scientists find their roles as external consultants less demanding," said a senior ISRO scientist on condition of anonymity.

The scientist further explained that the sudden departure of experienced scientists hampers the progress of critical missions such as Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-4, the Venus mission and Mangalyaan-2. Hence, the DoS memorandum is being seen as a step in the right direction to prevent such sudden exits. "The years of experience they have invested in these projects are crucial for their progress. If they leave suddenly, it will hamper the progress of these critical missions and affect national aspirations," the scientist added.

Experts point out that recent reports of scientists leaving the ISRO have drawn attention to the evolving dynamics of India's rapidly expanding space ecosystem.

"As India's space sector opens up to greater private participation, professionals with expertise in satellite systems, launch vehicles, propulsion, avionics and mission operations are finding a wider range of career opportunities across startups, research institutions, academia and the aerospace industry. Such movement of talent is not uncommon in technologically advanced sectors and often reflects the growth of an entire ecosystem rather than the challenges of a single organisation. ISRO continues to remain one of the country's most prestigious scientific institutions, offering opportunities to work on nationally significant missions that inspire generations of engineers and scientists," said Srimathy Kesan, founder and CEO of Chennai-based space startup SpaceKidz.

At the same time, experienced space scientists possess years of specialised knowledge that is invaluable to complex programmes such as human spaceflight, planetary exploration and advanced satellite missions.

"While ISRO has stated that its ongoing projects remain on track, retaining experienced personnel is important to ensure continuity, knowledge transfer and long-term capacity building. The increasing interaction between ISRO, academia and India's emerging private space industry also presents an opportunity for stronger collaboration, innovation and technology development. As India's space ambitions continue to grow, creating an environment that supports both public institutions and private enterprises will be key to strengthening the nation's position as a leading global space power," Kesan added.

Like NASA, which also witnesses regular attrition of scientists, ISRO has seen around 700 people resign between 2012 and 2024, while nearly half of the agency's new recruits reportedly left between 2004 and 2007, reports point out.

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