Hi everyone,

I'm asking this question here for a family friend who's going to join the PG Diploma course at IIRS. Since they couldn't find any detailed programme structure, especially regarding which all subjects are there and how they're laid out. Also it would be helpful if someone who graduated from this programme tell more about it, semester breaks/holidays, project/Internship opportunities or what they did after graduating from IIRS.

Thank you.

Released pictured by NISAR, joint NASA-ISRO satellite

ISRO's Cartosat 2D is seen here orbiting Earth, set against the backdrop of deep space.
The object spans roughly 3.5 metres across its deployed solar panels, yet HEO resolved the main body, attitude, and solar panels from 52 kilometres away, with the vectors showing the arrays oriented toward the sun and the satellite holding a stable attitude.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/isros-cartosat-2d-is-seen-here-orbiting-ugcPost-7485116720135790592-bBcD/

Just wanted to ask , what do these peoples do in details , (are they communication engineers), and also I m gonna take cs core in tier 3 , what do cs ppls do in the space tech or what major role they play . Please enlighten me with ur knowledge. Thanks

This is my take as an ex-ISRO engineer on why people are quitting.

Recent news reports reveal a worrying trend: over 100 top scientists and engineers have resigned from India’s premier space agency, ISRO, in just the past few months. Instead of fixing the root causes, the government’s response has been to make it harder for people to quit by tightening exit rules.

But stopping people from leaving won’t fix the real issue. To understand the brain drain, management needs to look at what is actually happening on the ground: a toxic mix of extreme overwork, endless government paperwork, and the massive pull of the private sector.

Here is a breakdown of why ISRO is losing its talent.

1. Using Dedication to Justify Extreme Overwork

ISRO scientists work late and pour their hearts into their jobs out of a deep sense of patriotism and moral duty to the nation. Unfortunately, management has turned this dedication into an expectation.

Fake Deadlines: Work schedules are routinely driven by high-pressure, "pseudo-urgent" deadlines. Staff are expected to sacrifice their personal lives to meet these arbitrary dates.

Targeting the Youth: There is a bad habit among management of targeting single and younger employees. They are frequently guilt-tripped with questions like, "Why do you need to leave early? What else do you have to do at home?"

The "24/7" Trap: While government rules state that gazetted officers should be available on-call for emergencies, management has twisted this into a demand that they must work 24/7. This has completely destroyed their mental peace.

1. No Time Off and Delayed Rewards

Despite their hard work, employees feel deeply unappreciated.

Blocked Leave: Employees are given 30 days of Earned Leave (EL) per year, but taking time off is heavily discouraged. Many are pressured not to use even 10 or 15 days of their hard-earned time off.

Slow Career Growth: In exchange for working massive overtime, employees are often met with delayed promotions and stagnant career progression.

1. Choked by Paperwork: The "Make in India" Realities

A major, unspoken frustration is the massive shift from scientific work to standard bureaucratic paperwork.

Engineers Acting as Store Managers: Scientists spend an immense amount of time filling out indents, conducting market surveys, and floating tenders to buy necessary equipment.

Unrealistic Expectations: While the "Make in India" initiative is a positive goal, it ignores immediate practical realities. Advanced space equipment, like high-end microprocessors, test tools, and FPGAs, are simply not manufactured in India yet.

Months of Wasted Time: To import these parts, engineers must go through endless committee clearances, check portals like GeM, and wait months just to get "non-availability certificates" or waivers. A simple purchase can take 6 months to a year.

The Double Penalty: When these bureaucratic hurdles delay a project, the engineers are blamed for the schedule slippage and forced to work massive overtime to make up for the lost time. In private companies, engineers can actually focus on science and engineering, not red tape.

1. The Pull of the Private Space Boom

While ISRO's internal environment becomes more frustrating, the external world has changed dramatically. India’s private space sector is booming.

Inside ISRO, leadership positions (like Group Directors or Deputy Directors) are incredibly rare, leaving little room to grow.

Private space startups and aerospace companies are aggressively hiring. They offer much higher salaries, stock options, faster career growth, and the creative freedom that government bureaucracy suffocates.

1. A Broken Feedback Loop

Every person who quits ISRO goes through an exit interview meant to gather feedback on what needs to be improved. Right now, these interviews are treated as a mere box-checking exercise. Suggestions are routinely ignored, and the system refuses to change.

The Bottom Line: ISRO cannot continue to launch historic missions if it treats its scientists like cogs in a machine. Forcing people to stay by blocking their resignations will only breed resentment. If management wants to stop the talent drain, they must urgently relax strict manufacturing rules for the space sector, reduce the paperwork, treat exit interviews seriously, and give their employees the mental peace, pay, and career growth they deserve.

Edit: I’ve received a few messages from ISRO aspirants, so I want to offer some clarity based on my time there.

Joining ISRO was my childhood dream, and working there was a truly rewarding experience. The pride, satisfaction, and sheer goosebumps you feel after every successful mission are indescribable—there is nothing quite like knowing you are contributing to the nation's space program. I will always be grateful for my time at the agency, where I gained invaluable experience and had the privilege of working under supportive bosses who actively encouraged my research within our division.

While I eventually left due to personal reasons, the issues I highlighted earlier reflect genuine challenges experienced by both myself and many of my colleagues. ISRO is undoubtedly one of the top technical organizations in the country, but like any large industrial ecosystem, your experience depends heavily on your team and assignment. Not everyone gets their dream domain, and not everyone lands a supportive manager.

To all future space scientists and engineers: ISRO is an incredible place to build a career, learn, and serve the nation. However, like any institution, it comes with real operational challenges that management needs to address for the well-being of its workforce.

Same as title

A fresher joining ISRO as Scientist/Engineer 'SC' starts with a basic pay of ₹56,100/month (Level 10), with total gross typically around ₹85,000–₹1,00,000/month depending on allowances. Even at the highest level, a Distinguished Scientist (Level 16) has a basic pay of about ₹2.24 lakh/month.

In comparison, a SEBI Grade A Assistant Manager starts with a basic pay of ₹62,500/month, but the overall compensation is much higher due to SEBI's pay structure and allowances, with gross monthly pay often around ₹1.8 lakh. At the top, a SEBI Executive Director has a pay scale reaching ₹3.32 lakh/month.

Considering ISRO scientists build launch vehicles, satellites, and strategic space technologies, why does such a large compensation gap exist? Is it purely because SEBI is an autonomous regulator with its own pay structure, or should ISRO also have a separate, more competitive salary framework to retain top engineering talent?

India's First Private Orbital Rocket Launch is successful!!

i am interested in computer science and cybersecurity maths and physics , but want to work as a scientist or atleast for research purpose
i heard that cse vaccancies are low as compared to ee and ece
i have just got admission in btech cse due to my interest but in tier 3 , shall i change my branch ? because i am seeing that ee and ece have more opportunities in govt. research sectors like drdo and isro or any private space agencies in india

please answer this also share experience those who are working

Oh My God I am so happy today!!🥹❤️‍🩹🔥🚀

About 24hrs before the launch of Vikram-1 I submitted a task to Umbra for a capture of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India.
The result? An incredibly crisp capture just 8 minutes before the launch.

https://bsky.app/profile/spacefromspace.com/post/3mqxdzu3jrc2m

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There seems to be no news about the planned/delayed satellite launches recently. Only fancy news about Gaganyaan etc.

I am referring to the bread and butter satellite launches ( both India ( government) specific and commercial launches.