What happened
The Department of Space has issued a memorandum to ISRO centres and unit heads to curb exits from personnel working on critical national missions, including Gaganyaan. The memorandum says requests for voluntary retirement or resignation from Group A scientific and technical personnel associated with Gaganyaan and other important missions should not be accepted routinely until those missions are realised.
The memorandum also says that requests from personnel below the rank of SG in relevant roles should be referred to the Department of Space for a final decision. Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh said there is no manpower crisis and argued that continuity within the ISRO team is protecting project progress.
Why the issue matters
The issue matters because major space missions depend not only on budgets and hardware but also on continuity of specialised scientific and technical teams. A mission such as Gaganyaan requires sustained institutional memory across design, testing, integration, safety, and launch preparation.
Background and earlier position
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- Lok Sabha written reply: Progress on Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission and Bharatiya Antariksh Station timeline
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