The space race is no longer between nations alone. Increasingly, it is also a battle for talent. And if Bharat wants to emerge as a genuine space superpower, it cannot afford to lose its brightest minds simply because it refuses to recognise that scientists, too, deserve to be rewarded commensurate with their contribution. The reported exit of nearly 120 scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) over the past few years should serve as a wake-up call—not merely for ISRO’s leadership, but more importantly for the Narendra Modi government. The matter deserves far greater public debate than the routine official explanations that scientists are free to pursue “greener pastures.” Yes, they are. But should the country remain indifferent when some of its finest scientific talent walks away from one of its most prestigious institutions? The Modi government deserves credit for opening Bharat’s space sector to private participation in 2020. That decision has transformed the ecosystem. Space startups have grown from barely a handful to over 400 within a few years. Funding has crossed hundreds of millions of dollars. Private companies are today partners in Bharat’s ambitious space dreams, including the Gaganyaan human space mission. This is undoubtedly a welcome development. However, governments cannot celebrate private sector success while simultaneously ignoring the unintended consequences of their own policies. If the State creates an attractive marketplace outside ISRO, funds startups generously, grants access to ISRO’s infrastructure and technologies, and encourages lucrative opportunities in the private sector, it cannot then expect scientists to remain in government service merely out of patriotism. Nationalism alone does not pay school fees or home loans. The irony is striking. After liberalising the sector and creating talent competition, the government reportedly had to issue restrictions preventing scientists associated with critical projects such as Gaganyaan from resigning until mission completion. That approach is fundamentally flawed. Restrictions are never a substitute for reforms. If anything, such measures expose the government’s failure to anticipate a brain drain of its own making. The uncomfortable truth is that ISRO scientists today remain prisoners of salary structures designed for conventional government employees. Why should Bharat’s rocket scientists be treated on par with bureaucratic pay commission formulas that were never intended for cutting-edge scientific institutions?
The scientist validating moon landings, designing propulsion systems or working on human spaceflight missions cannot be viewed through the same administrative lens as routine government departments. Exceptional talent demands exceptional policy. ISRO’s younger generation of scientists belongs to a different era. Gone are the romanticised days when scientists worked for decades with little concern for financial rewards. Today’s professionals are ambitious, globally aware, and financially conscious. There is nothing immoral about that. If startup founders who once worked at ISRO can create multi-billion-rupee enterprises within a few years, why should young scientists not aspire to better opportunities? They are not “traitors” for leaving. They are simply responding rationally to market realities created by government policy itself. At the same time, scientists cannot escape their own responsibilities. Joining ISRO is not merely another corporate appointment. The institution carries immense national significance. Young scientists who choose to serve in critical missions such as Gaganyaan must also recognise that nation-building occasionally demands sacrifices that transcend immediate financial considerations. A balance must therefore be struck. The solution is neither to shame scientists for leaving nor to shackle them with restrictive service conditions. The answer lies in creating a special compensation framework for Bharat’s scientific talent. Scientists working on strategic missions must be offered salaries, performance incentives, retention bonuses, research grants, and mission-linked benefits that are competitive enough to discourage premature exits. More importantly, ISRO scientists should be treated as a national asset—not simply government employees awaiting the next Pay Commission’s recommendations. If Bharat genuinely dreams of becoming one of the world’s top three or four space powers, it must invest not merely in rockets, satellites and launchpads, but in the people who build them. Space missions do not fail because of inadequate ambition. They fail when nations underestimate the value of human capital. The Modi government has shown remarkable vision in opening Bharat’s space sector to private enterprise. It must now demonstrate equal vision in protecting and nurturing the scientific minds that made Bharat’s space story possible in the first place. Otherwise, Bharat’s space startups may continue to soar, even as ISRO quietly loses the very scientists who gave them wings.
