ISRO is recruiting 97 people at Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota — the spaceport every Indian launch lifts off from. Applications opened on 19 October 2026 and close on 9 November 2026 at 23:59 hrs.
Two things make this advertisement worth more attention than its size suggests.
43 of the 97 posts are Technician 'B' — SSLC plus an ITI certificate. Another 16 are Multi-Tasking Staff, where a 10th pass is the whole requirement. This is not a scientist recruitment. Nearly two-thirds of these vacancies are open to someone who finished 10th and did a trade course.
And the fee comes back. ISRO charges it as a processing fee and refunds it to everyone who turns up for the written test — in full if you are a woman, SC, ST, PwBD or Ex-Serviceman, and minus Rs. 250 or Rs. 100 for everybody else. Sitting the exam costs almost nothing. Not sitting it costs you the lot.
Dates
| Advertisement | 19 October 2026 |
| Online registration opens | 19 October 2026, 10:00 hrs |
| Closing date for online registration | 9 November 2026, 23:59 hrs |
| Age and qualification reckoned as on | 9 November 2026 |
| Written test | Will be intimated separately |
| Skill test | Will be intimated separately |
The 97 posts
Post codes run from 07 to 30. The full post-wise table with reservation and qualification for each code is in the Vacancy Details panel above; here is the shape of it.
| Post | Level | Posts | Lowest qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical Assistant | 7 | 14 | 3-year First Class Diploma |
| Scientific Assistant | 7 | 3 | First Class B.Sc. / BFA |
| Library Assistant 'A' | 7 | 3 | First Class Master's in Library Science |
| Nurse 'B' | 7 | 3 | First Class Diploma in Nursing |
| Technician 'B' | 3 | 43 | SSLC + ITI / NTC / NAC |
| Draughtsman 'B' | 3 | 1 | SSLC + ITI in Draughtsman (Civil) |
| Fireman 'A' | 2 | 2 | 10th pass + physical standards |
| Light Vehicle Driver 'A' | 2 | 5 | 10th pass + 3 years experience |
| Heavy Vehicle Driver 'A' | 2 | 7 | 10th pass + 5 years experience |
| Multi-Tasking Staff | 1 | 16 | Matriculation / SSLC / SSC |
| Total | 97 | ||
Inside Technician 'B', the trade matters enormously. Fitter alone has 17 posts and Electronic Mechanic has 12 — 29 of the 43. Electrician has 5, Chemical 3, Boiler Attendant 2, and Turner, R&AC, Civil Engineering Assistant and Photography have one each. If your ITI trade is Fitter or Electronic Mechanic, this is the best opening you will see this month.
Where you will actually work
Most of these posts are at SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota, in Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh — 100 km north of Chennai and 18 km from Sullurpeta. But not all of them, and the advertisement is explicit about it:
- Post Codes 10, 16, 17, 18 and 19 have vacancies at two locations — SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota, and the Propellant Complex, Rasayani, Raigad district, Maharashtra.
- Post Code 20 (Boiler Attendant) is identified for the Rasayani unit.
- Post Code 30 (Light Vehicle Driver) is at ADRIN, Secunderabad, Telangana — not Sriharikota at all.
Read that list again if you are applying for Fitter or Electronic Mechanic, which are the two largest trades on offer. Those are precisely the post codes split across two states, and you do not get to choose. A candidate from coastal Andhra applying to Post Code 18 should be willing to work in Maharashtra.
The fee, and why it is the most interesting number here
| Post Codes 07 to 15 | Post Codes 16 to 30 | |
|---|---|---|
| Processing fee payable | Rs. 750 | Rs. 500 |
| Refund — women, SC, ST, PwBD, Ex-Servicemen | Rs. 750 (full) | Rs. 500 (full) |
| Refund — all other candidates | Rs. 500 | Rs. 400 |
| Net cost to all other candidates | Rs. 250 | Rs. 100 |
Compare that with the Rs. 800 that UCO Bank keeps, or the Rs. 1,000 a state PSC keeps. For an OBC male candidate applying to Multi-Tasking Staff, this entire recruitment costs Rs. 100 — and for a woman or SC/ST/PwBD/ESM candidate it costs nothing at all, provided she writes the exam.
There is exactly one condition, and it is absolute. Refund will not be considered if a candidate fails to appear for the written test. The fee is not a filter on who applies; it is a deposit against wasting an examination seat. ISRO is paying you, in effect, to show up.
So: apply, and then actually go. Dropping out converts a Rs. 100 recruitment into a Rs. 500 one.
What the job pays
| Post | Pay Level | Pay scale | Approx. gross at minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical Assistant, Scientific Assistant, Library Assistant 'A', Nurse 'B' | 7 | Rs. 44,900 – 1,42,400 | Rs. 71,840 / month |
| Technician 'B', Draughtsman 'B' | 3 | Rs. 21,700 – 69,100 | Rs. 34,720 / month |
| Fireman 'A' | 2 | Rs. 19,900 – 63,200 | Rs. 31,840 / month |
| Light and Heavy Vehicle Driver 'A' | 2 | Rs. 19,900 – 63,200 | Rs. 28,800 / month |
| Multi-Tasking Staff | 1 | Rs. 18,000 – 56,900 | Rs. 28,800 / month |
Those gross figures are Basic Pay plus DA at the minimum of the level. HRA and Transport Allowance are on top, as per Government of India orders — and at Sriharikota they are often taken in kind instead, because ISRO provides housing in lieu of HRA and free transport in lieu of transport allowance.
Rs. 34,720 a month for an ITI holder, at the start of the scale, with a Level 3 pay band that tops out at Rs. 69,100, is a better number than almost anything else an ITI certificate opens. Add the rest of what comes with it: medical facilities for self and dependants, canteen, library, Leave Travel Concession, Group Insurance and House Building Advance. Selected candidates are governed by the National Pension System or the Unified Pension Scheme.
Which post code should you apply for?
You pay separately for each one, so this is a real decision rather than a formality. Three honest observations.
If your ITI trade is on the list, apply for it and stop there. Post Code 18 (Fitter, 17 posts) and Post Code 19 (Electronic Mechanic, 12 posts) have the most vacancies in the entire advertisement. Competition will be heavy in absolute terms, but 17 seats beats 1 seat every time.
If you are a plain 10th pass under 25, Multi-Tasking Staff is your post. 16 vacancies, no trade certificate needed, Rs. 28,800 gross. The catch is the age ceiling of 25, and the fact that a no-qualification central government post draws an enormous field.
If you hold a 3-year First Class Diploma, look at Post Code 07. Mechanical Engineering has 7 of the 14 Technical Assistant posts, at Level 7 and about Rs. 71,840 gross. That is the highest-paying route in this advertisement, and a diploma is all it asks.
The post codes to be careful with are the single-vacancy ones — 08, 09, 13, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 27. One seat, nationwide, for a specific trade or discipline. They are worth the Rs. 100 or Rs. 750 only if the discipline is genuinely yours.
Reservation for Ex-Servicemen
Seven posts are identified for Ex-Servicemen across Post Codes 16 to 28, and one of the three UR vacancies in Post Code 30 at ADRIN is also identified for Ex-servicemen. If you are ESM, your fee is fully refundable and you have a dedicated share of the Technician, Fireman and Driver posts.
Before you pay
Three things that sink applications in this particular advertisement:
- "First Class" is not negotiable on any Diploma, Degree or Master's post. Check your marksheet percentage against your University's First Class threshold before paying.
- Driving experience must be after the licence was issued, must come from a Government, semi-Government, registered company, society or trust — never from an individual — and part-time experience is not counted towards the number of years.
- Your bank account details on the form are your refund account. This is the only recruitment where getting that field wrong costs you real money.
The advertisement number is SDSC SHAR/RMT/03/2026 dated 19.10.2026. We have mirrored the complete 43-page notification below so you can read the post-wise tables, physical standards for Fireman and functional requirement codes in full before you commit a fee.