More than 100 scientists have left ISRO in recent months: Has India’s space agency lost focus?

India’s growing science sector is also reshaping the workforce, with more than 100 scientists reportedly leaving ISRO in recent months. This has raised concerns about talent retention, organizational change and the future of India’s space ambitions, prompting scrutiny over whether the agency can adapt to the rapidly changing scientific environment.

On August 23, 2023, when ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 landed on the southern side of the Moon, India swelled with pride. It was a success that attracted national attention. And the blood in our veins flowed with pride for our ISRO scientists. Less than three years now, but now we have a very different story. Dreaming of being a part of ISRO is not a child’s play, let alone becoming one. It is a dream nurtured by millions of young hearts. It is a historical organization. However, here we have a completely different script. The discussion has moved from space to the retirement of scientists.Less than three years after the Chandrayaan mission, more than 100 scientists have reportedly quit or are seeking voluntary retirement from ISRO in just a few months. The government has responded quickly. Scientists working on complex programs like Gaganyaan will now need approval from the Space Ministry before they can leave.That decision has been taken to delay the exit. However, it cannot help but answer a very important question: Why are some of India’s scientists leaving one of the country’s most prestigious institutions?Because no organization loses talent immediately. People leave when the future on the outside starts to look more exciting than the future on the inside. And that is the problem that is staring ISRO in the face.

The real competition is no longer NASA. It’s next door.

For many years, ISRO had very few employers to enjoy, it had no real competition. If an astronaut wanted to make rockets in India, there was only one place. If a scientist dreamed of creating planetary services, the decision was already made. That time is over.The opening of the Indian sector in 2020 has rewritten the rules. Suddenly, volunteer engineers no longer have to wait years to lead a career. They can join a startup, build a launch vehicle, become part of the company and see their ideas come to fruition within months, not years.The metal is clapping so hard it’s impossible to ignore. ISRO spent decades developing India’s environment. The same nature is now competing with its best people.This is not the failure of individual Indian companies. It is proof that the sector has matured. The question is whether ISRO has matured with it.

Are scientists really abandoning the mission?

Whenever the topic of layoffs comes up, salary is the main protagonist. Coneninet though, but maybe the wrong reason for this. It is an attempt to reduce the issue to salary.Scientists do not join ISRO expecting to be paid by companies. They come together because they want to solve problems that very few people in the world can solve.But the goal alone cannot continue the work forever. When promotions are slow, decisions take months, approvals are slow and leadership overshadows talent, even the most passionate professionals will take on the difficult tasks.These questions become more clear when private companies offer not only better pay but also more independence.People rarely leave because they lose faith in the mission. They leave because they no longer believe that the system allows them to do their best work.

With each drop, events are out the door

Entering a scientist may sound easy. Find someone, train them, give them a job and that’s it! But the truth is that it is not like that. Real life works differently.A scientist who helped develop the Chandrayaan sequence or spent years developing a proper navigation system has knowledge that is not available anywhere else, not in books, not in software and not in presentations.Scientific organizations don’t just hire people. They accumulate experience. Every resignation is etched on their memory. The damages are not visible at first. After years, it starts to show.

Can restrictions really create loyalty?

The Department of Environment’s latest plan shows how dire the situation is. But preventing layoffs is management’s response to a culture crisis. Employees stay because they want to. Not because leaving is difficult.History provides many examples of organizations trying to end retention through regulation rather than change. Very few win.Savings are earned. It cannot be legislated. ISRO may need major changes since its inception. India’s space ambitions have grown exponentially. The world needs astronauts. It requires reusable rockets. It needs a space station. It wants a bigger share of the global market for startups.All of this requires a more expensive piece of equipment than launch vehicles or satellites. Skill.This means that ISRO needs to rethink its long-standing assumptions about how a government science agency should function.

These are uncomfortable questions. Ignoring them will not harm them.If India’s brightest scientists find their destiny outside ISRO instead of inside it, the biggest challenge in space will never be reaching Mars or building a space station.It will be keeping the mindset that can make those dreams come true. Because in the end, rockets don’t build themselves. People do.