ISRO tightens resignation rules after mass exit of over 100 scientists

The Department of Space has issued a strict fresh directive to curb a significant wave of recent resignations within the Indian Space Research Organisation. According to an internal memorandum dated July 14, ISRO centers have been explicitly instructed not to routinely accept voluntary retirement or resignation requests from Group 'A' scientific and technical personnel. This new regulatory intervention specifically targets personnel actively associated with critical national missions, including the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.

The administrative shift comes amid reports indicating that between 100 and 120 experienced scientists have resigned in recent months, notably from the U R Rao Satellite Centre and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. High-profile departures reportedly include LVM3 Project Director Victor Joseph and key Chandrayaan-3 simulation team leader Aditya Rallapalli. While ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan downplayed long-term operational concerns by stating that the space agency is fully equipped to manage employee transitions, officials remain deeply concerned about losing years of specialized, mission-specific expertise.

The new directive effectively reverses a previous administrative reform introduced in November 2020, which had delegated the authority of approving resignations directly to ISRO center directors. Under the updated framework, center directors must refrain from accepting exit requests until critical strategic projects are completed, and all pending cases must be referred to the Department of Space for final approval. Although the total number of departures remains a small fraction of ISRO's massive workforce, retaining institutional knowledge is deemed vital for upcoming milestones like the Bharatiya Antariksh Station.