India's growing private space sector is, ironically, affecting its guide and mentor, the Indian Space Research Organisation. The government agency has been rattled by about 120 scientists’ resignation or voluntary retirement over the past year. The finger squarely points at the lucrative private sector, which now features 400 functional startups. On July 14, the department of space issued a memorandum to the heads of Isro’s various centres and units, instructing them not to accept requests for resignation or voluntary retirement, and instead forward them to the department for scrutiny. At the back is the fear of a debilitating impact on India’s ambitious space plans that include the first manned mission, Gaganyaan, in 2027; setting up a space station by 2035; and sending the first Indian astronauts to the moon by 2040.
As if justifying the department’s fears, just four days after the office note, Hyderabad-based startup Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched the country’s first privately designed and developed rocket, Vikram-1, from Isro’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota to heart-warming congratulatory messages. The historic feat announced the take-off of India’s private space sector, which uses Isro’s infrastructure and guidance as launch pads.
The private sector’s growth is attributed to the 2020 space policy reforms allowing foreign direct investment. However, former Isro scientists founding or joining these startups, which provide significantly more lucrative prospects, seems to be nibbling at the heart of the space agency. Several senior Isro scientists, including former chairman S Somanath, have moved to private startups post retirement. Skyroot Aerospace itself was founded by two young former Isro scientists, Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka. Such shifts profoundly influence the minds of younger scientists seeking higher pays and bigger challenges. Although Isro’s overall attrition rate last year was less than 1 percent, the insecurity is real as filling the vacated posts is not easy.
The fact remains that Isro and the private sector have to coexist in order to realise India’s most ambitious space programmes. India needs to take a leaf out of the US’s Nasa, which keeps the core projects to itself while allowing private companies on other missions and component development. There is also an urgent need is to raise the Isro scientists’ morale, benchmarks and pay packages if India’s space dreams are to arrive where intended.