ISRO has tightened rules on routine resignations and voluntary retirement requests from scientists working on its critical missions, including Gaganyaan and Chandrayaan-3, in response to a wave of departures.

Notable exits include senior leaders such as the LVM-3 project director at VSSC and a SpaDeX project director at URSC, among others tied to Chandrayaan-3.

A new memo bars personnel from resigning until their ongoing projects are completed, reversing a 2020 policy that allowed center directors to approve exits up to the Scientist/Engineer-SG level.

The policy shift aims to balance retention with continuity of critical programmes amid ongoing challenges at ISRO, including a slowdown in launches after PSLV mission failures.

The 2025-26 annual report shows continued recruitment for about 1,050 vacancies and cadre changes that permanently filled 466 project posts while adding around 460 senior positions, indicating ongoing staffing adjustments.

The move is set against broader privatization and private-sector engagement as India seeks to maintain momentum on flagship space initiatives despite resignations and technical hurdles.

The directive is intended to safeguard leadership continuity and minimize disruption to missions such as Gaganyaan by ensuring stable succession on key programs.

Departures represent a small share of ISRO’s 14,600+ workforce but come from strategically vital centers and have been an ongoing issue across years, predating growth of the private space sector.

The rising private space sector in India is attracting experienced ISRO personnel with higher salaries and different career opportunities, potentially affecting institutional knowledge and project continuity.

The move reflects concerns that rising exits could disrupt high-priority missions, prompting the government to tighten governance around personnel changes.

ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan acknowledged resignations as normal and said the organization can manage by reassigning responsibilities to keep projects on track.

To counter talent drain, the government approved a cadre review and began recruiting to fill about 1,050 vacancies across ISRO.