For six months, the skies above Sriharikota remained unusually silent.
The launch pads that had once witnessed the roars of Chandrayaan-3, Aditya-L1 and hundreds of Isro missions stood still. India’s space programme, once known for its relentless missions, had not sent a single rocket into orbit since January 2026. Questions piled up. Mission timelines slipped. Scientists resigned. Answers were scarce.
Then, the silence was shattered.
For the first time in six months, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota came alive.
The countdown clocks lit up. The launch control centre buzzed with excitement. Cameras tracked a rocket standing tall against the Bay of Bengal sky. Engineers huddled over consoles as millions watched online.
But this was not an Isro launch.
Instead, it was Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket, successfully lifting off under Mission Aagaman, a moment that may well be remembered as the beginning of India’s commercial space age.
Perhaps the biggest contrast was not the rocket itself.
It was the people behind it.
Inside mission control sat a sea of young engineers, many in their twenties and early thirties, led by a young flight director confidently calling out milestones. The broadcast was polished, energetic and designed to bring viewers into the mission. Behind-the-scenes storytelling, engineer interviews and cinematic visuals reflected a new way of communicating spaceflight to the public.
For many watching, it felt like a glimpse into India’s future.
Ironically, it also highlighted difficult questions about the country’s premier space agency.
While a private startup was celebrating history from Isro’s own launch pad, the national space agency has spent much of 2026 battling questions over mission delays, resignations and an unprecedented communication vacuum.
A YEAR THAT PROMISED SO MUCH
When Isro Chairman V. Narayanan unveiled the agency’s roadmap in January, 2026 was expected to become one of the most consequential years in India’s space history.
The agenda was ambitious:
- The first industry-built PSLV.
- The Gaganyaan G1 human spaceflight mission.
- Commercial SSLV launches.
- Navigation satellites.
- Reusable launch vehicle development.
- Preparations for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station.
Instead, the year stumbled almost immediately.
The PSLV-C62 mission failed after an anomaly, marking the second consecutive setback for India’s workhorse launcher within a year.
Since then, Isro has not conducted a single launch.
SIX MONTHS LATER, QUESTIONS REMAIN
Launch failures are not unusual in spaceflight. Every major space agency, including NASA, ESA, SpaceX and China’s CNSA, has experienced setbacks.
What has surprised many observers is what happened afterwards.
Nearly six months after the PSLV failures, Isro has not publicly released the findings of the failure assessment committee or explained in detail what caused the anomaly.
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh has said the technical issue has been resolved but has shared no information on the nature of the anomaly or the fixes implemented. Senior officials at Isro, on condition of anonymity, revealed that the report has been submitted to the government, but is yet to be cleared.
Beyond that, little has emerged.
Repeated requests for clarification have largely been redirected to the Chairman’s Office. Questions sent regarding launch timelines and the PSLV investigation remained unanswered at the time of publication of this report.
The result has been an information vacuum.
In spaceflight, uncertainty often creates speculation, and speculation rarely benefits public confidence.
THE RESIGNATION WAVE
The silence has coincided with another development that has raised eyebrows within India’s space community.
The Department of Space (DoS) recently issued an internal memorandum tightening rules governing resignations and voluntary retirement for scientists associated with flagship missions such as Gaganyaan.
The directive followed what multiple sources described as a significant wave of departures.
According to officials familiar with the matter, more than 100 scientists may have resigned from strategically important centres, including the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
The concern is not merely about numbers. It is about expertise.
Among those reported to have left are scientists associated with Chandrayaan-3, SpaDeX, and launch vehicle programmes, as well as engineers whose experience has been built over years of complex missions.
The new memorandum effectively prevents centre directors from routinely accepting resignations of scientists attached to nationally important projects. Instead, such requests must now be referred to the Department of Space.
It is an unusual administrative intervention, reflecting concerns that replacing specialised talent is not as simple as filling vacancies.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that Isro has a vast workforce and that personnel movement is a routine feature of any large scientific organisation. “Many have gone, many have come,” Singh said, adding that the agency continues to induct new talent even as some employees leave. “Isro has a very large workforce. As people leave, many also join.”
WHY ARE SCIENTISTS LEAVING?
The reasons appear to be a combination of opportunity and organisational change.
India’s private space ecosystem has expanded dramatically since the sector was opened in 2020.
Companies such as Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos, Pixxel, Bellatrix Aerospace, Digantara and Dhruva Space are offering engineers the chance to work on cutting-edge technologies with greater flexibility, competitive salaries, equity and faster career progression.
Many of these startups themselves were founded by former Isro scientists. Several senior veterans have also moved into advisory and leadership roles in private companies.
The result is a thriving ecosystem where talent can move between government and industry. Multiple current and former officials also point to growing mission backlogs and slower decision-making within the organisation.
Some have privately suggested that administrative authority has become increasingly centralised within the Chairman’s Office, although Isro has not publicly addressed these perceptions.
Officials emphasised that greater transparency would help address concerns. The growing private space sector naturally creates new opportunities for engineers.
MISSION DELAYS ACROSS THE BOARD
The impact is visible across almost every major programme.
The industry-built PSLV-N1 mission, carrying EOS-10 (Oceansat-3A) and the India-Mauritius Joint Satellite, has no confirmed launch date. The Gaganyaan G1 mission, originally expected in March, remains unscheduled.
The SSLV-L1 commercial mission has not flown, and there is no information either from Isro or from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which has been tasked with it.
The GSLV-F17 mission carrying the NVS-03 navigation satellite had similarly disappeared from the public calendar. However, the Isro chief hinted that it could happen within the next two months.
For an organisation that once maintained an impressive launch cadence, the slowdown has become increasingly noticeable.
However, it’s not as if the work has come to a standstill.
The Indian space agency is progressing with the development and validation tests for the Gaganyaan mission, and information has been put out on the recent spate of tests to validate the drogue chutes, engines, and crew capsule. But, since information is limited, the perception that work is not happening is taking over in the public.
THE WORLD IS RUNNING AHEAD
Globally, the pace of spaceflight continues to accelerate. China recently demonstrated the first reusable rocket landing that has so far been mastered only by the private sector.
SpaceX routinely flies and lands Falcon 9 boosters while rapidly testing Starship Super Heavy. Blue Origin has demonstrated its reusable vehicle, New Glenn, and NASA is pressing ahead with Artemis-III as it prepares to return astronauts to the Moon after the success of the Artemis-II mission.
Even Japan has begun testing reusable rocket technologies.
India also recognises that reusability is the future.
Isro has begun early work on reusable launch systems under the ADMIRE programme and plans to incorporate reusable first stages into its proposed New Generation Launch Vehicle.
But compared with reusable rockets already operating elsewhere, India’s efforts remain in the technology development phase.
“In India, Isro has been pursuing a winged reusable launch vehicle under its Pushpak programme. It is essentially a scaled-down version of a reusable spacecraft, and multiple landing trials have already been successfully completed. These experiments are helping India gradually master the required technologies,” Lt Gen. AK Bhatta, Director General, Indian Space Association, told IndiaToday.in.
He added that for the New Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), Isro has also planned to make at least the first stage reusable. The NGLV will be crucial for the Gaganyaan Mission and for ensuring cadence for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station.
Senior officials, both at the Human Space Flight Centre and Isro, however, maintain that the developments are mostly limited to paper and timelines will be stretched in the future.
Interestingly, India’s private sector may move faster.
Chennai-based startup Agnikul Cosmos has already announced plans to recover orbital boosters under Mission-02, while Skyroot has indicated faster launch cadence with its Hyderabad-based rocket factory primed to build one rocket a month.
“Any serious, sustained space ambition depends on reusability, not just for cost but for launch cadence and national capability. Programs like Bharatiya Antariksh Station need a maturing ecosystem of reusable technologies behind them. At Agnikul, our semi-cryogenic reusable architecture is one part of building that broader national capability,” Moin SPM, Co-founder & COO of Agnikul Cosmos, told IndiaToday.in.
WHERE IS THE EXCITEMENT, ISRO?
Another challenge facing Isro is less technical but equally important.
Public excitement for the agency and big missions is missing.
During the Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3 missions under former Isro chairmen K. Sivan and S. Somanath, the Indian space agency evolved from a scientific institution into a national phenomenon.
Regular press briefings, detailed technical explainers, interviews with scientists and active social media engagement drew millions of Indians into the excitement of every launch, culminating in the historic Chandrayaan-3 Moon landing watched live across the country.
That sense of anticipation, however, has gradually faded. Updates on major programmes have become infrequent, mission delays often go unexplained, and key questions surrounding launch failures or project timelines remain unanswered for months.
In contrast, Skyroot’s Mission Aagaman showcased a different approach, combining modern storytelling, behind-the-scenes access, polished live broadcasts and direct engagement with engineers to make space exploration feel more accessible and personal.
It showed that in today’s era of commercial spaceflight, communication is no longer just about sharing mission updates; it is about inspiring public confidence, building excitement and making citizens feel like participants in the journey to space.
INDIAN SPACE PROGRAM AT AN INFLECTION POINT
None of this diminishes Isro’s extraordinary achievements. The agency remains the foundation upon which India’s private space industry has been built.
Without Isro’s decades of investment in launch vehicles, infrastructure, testing facilities and human capital, companies like Skyroot and Agnikul would not exist.
“None of our work in developing reusability would be possible without the policy and technical support of Isro and IN-SPACe, and we see ourselves as building on the ecosystem they’ve enabled,” Agnikul’s Moin added.
But Vikram-1’s successful launch also carried a deeper message.
India’s space programme is entering a new phase, one where government and private industry will together shape the country’s future beyond Earth.
“Future space systems will have a much greater chance of success if Isro’s experience is combined with the private sector’s agility, innovation and willingness to take risks. Collaboration, rather than competition, is the way forward,” Lt Gen AK Bhatt added.
For Isro, the challenge now extends beyond building rockets. It must also rebuild launch momentum, communicate with greater transparency, retain world-class talent and adapt to an ecosystem that is evolving faster than ever before.
As China perfects reusable rockets and the United States prepares to send astronauts back to the Moon, India stands at a defining moment.
The country’s ambitions remain as bold as ever, but achieving them will require not only engineering excellence, but also openness, deeper collaboration and the confidence to evolve alongside the new generation it helped create.
(Questions sent to Isro and In-SPACe remain unanswered. The story will be updated once we receive their response.)
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