ISRO and Space Department Launch Mega Recruitment Drive: 746 Posts, Including 92 Scientist Roles
The Department of Space (DoS) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have announced one of their largest recruitment drives in recent years, with 746 openings across scientist, administrative, and apprenticeship positions. The initiative comes as the department grapples with a 25-year-high vacancy rate, with nearly 30% of sanctioned posts lying unfilled at the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year.
The recruitment, spread across three notifications issued between July 27 and July 29, covers 336 regular posts and 410 apprenticeship positions. The largest chunk of regular posts is 244 Level-4 administrative roles, including assistants, junior personal assistants, upper division clerks, stenographers, and assistants for autonomous institutions. The drive also includes 92 scientist/engineer ‘SC’ positions in Level-10 of the pay matrix, with electronics (34 vacancies), mechanical (26), and computer science (13) leading the demand.
Successful scientist candidates will be deployed across specialised centres such as the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) and Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) in Bengaluru; Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram; Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota; Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad; and others. These centres have experienced notable attrition in recent years.
Alongside permanent roles, URSC, Bengaluru, has announced 410 apprenticeship positions for 2026-27, comprising 220 graduate apprentices, 120 technician apprentices, and 70 diploma in commercial practice apprentices. Under the Apprentices Act, 1961, these positions provide a monthly stipend (Rs 10,900 to Rs 12,300) and training, but no guarantee of permanent employment.
Despite the scale of the drive, sources indicate it will not significantly alter ISRO’s staffing deficit. The 336 regular vacancies amount to less than 6% of the department’s 5,632 documented vacancies earlier this year. Additional positions, including junior research fellows and project associates, were also advertised in recent months.
