Space Technology — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on space technology with full explanations — launch vehicles, orbits, NavIC, lunar and solar missions, space reform.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
Consider the following statements about NavIC:
- It is a global navigation satellite system like GPS.
- Its constellation includes satellites in geostationary orbit.
- It provides a Restricted Service for authorised users in addition to a Standard Positioning Service.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Statement 1 is incorrect — NavIC is regional, covering India and about 1,500 km around it; GPS is global. Statement 2 is correct — three of its seven satellites are geostationary and four are in inclined geosynchronous orbit. Statement 3 is correct — it offers a Standard Positioning Service for civilian users and a Restricted Service for authorised (largely strategic) users.
Answer: B
The Lagrange point L1, around which Aditya-L1 is placed, lies approximately how far from the Earth?
Solution
L1 lies about 1.5 million km from the Earth towards the Sun — roughly one per cent of the Earth–Sun distance. The other figures are distractors: 384,000 km is the average Earth–Moon distance; 35,786 km is the altitude of geostationary orbit; about 150 million km is the Earth–Sun distance.
Answer: C
Which one of the following statements about cryogenic rocket engines is correct?
Solution
A cryogenic engine burns liquid hydrogen with liquid oxygen, both stored at very low temperatures. Kerosene with liquid oxygen is a semi-cryogenic combination. PSLV has no cryogenic stage — its first stage is solid. Cryogenic engines have the highest efficiency, which is exactly why GSLV and LVM3 use them in their upper stages.
Answer: A
Consider the following institutions:
- IN-SPACe
- NewSpace India Limited
- Indian Space Research Organisation
Arrange them in the chronological order of their establishment, earliest first.
Solution
ISRO — 1969; NewSpace India Limited — 2019; IN-SPACe — 2020. The order is 3-2-1. Option B places IN-SPACe before NSIL, a common slip because both arrived with the same reform wave.
Answer: D
With reference to Chandrayaan-3, consider the following statements:
- It was launched by LVM3.
- It carried an orbiter, a lander and a rover.
- Its lander touched down near the lunar south polar region.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Solution
Statements 1 and 3 are correct — LVM3 launched it on 14 July 2023, and Vikram landed near the south polar region on 23 August 2023. Statement 2 is incorrect — Chandrayaan-3 carried a propulsion module, the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover. It had no new orbiter; Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter served as a communication backup.
Answer: B
“Space technology in India has always been an instrument of development before it was an instrument of prestige.” Examine with examples.
Solution
Introduction: ISRO’s founders framed space as a tool for national development — Vikram Sarabhai argued India must be “second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society”.
Body:
- Communication and broadcasting: INSAT/GSAT for television, telemedicine and tele-education to remote areas.
- Earth observation: IRS, Cartosat, RISAT and Oceansat for crop estimation, land records, groundwater mapping, fishing-zone advisories and flood mapping.
- Weather and disasters: INSAT-3D series supports cyclone tracking and early warning.
- Navigation: NavIC for transport, fisheries and strategic autonomy.
- Prestige missions with spin-offs: Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan and Aditya-L1 built deep-space navigation and propulsion capability and inspired students — but at modest cost relative to their reach.
- Caveat: human spaceflight and space stations now carry a larger strategic and prestige element.
Conclusion: The balance remains development-first; the prestige missions have built capability that feeds back into applications and the commercial space economy.