Daily Static Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
The GSLV Mk-III (LVM3) is India's heaviest and most powerful launcher, carrying ~4-tonne-class satellites to GTO and ~8 tonnes to LEO, and is the chosen vehicle for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. The PSLV is the workhorse mainly for polar/sun-synchronous and low Earth orbits, not heavy comsats to GTO, and its upper stages are not cryogenic — the cryogenic upper stage belongs to the GSLV. The SLV-3 (1980) placed the small Rohini satellite into low Earth orbit, not a geostationary comsat.
- Chandrayaan-1 — India's first lunar mission, which helped confirm the presence of water molecules on the Moon
- Mangalyaan (MOM) — India's first interplanetary mission, to Mars
- Aditya-L1 — India's first dedicated solar mission
- Chandrayaan-3 — Mission to soft-land near the lunar south pole region
All four pairs are correctly matched. Chandrayaan-1 (2008) was India's first lunar mission, whose Moon Impact Probe and instruments helped confirm water/hydroxyl signatures, while the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan, 2013) was the first interplanetary mission, reaching Mars orbit on the maiden attempt. Aditya-L1 is India's first dedicated solar observatory near the Sun-Earth L1 point, and Chandrayaan-3 (2023) achieved a successful soft landing near the lunar south pole — a global first for that region.
Reason (R): The L1 point allows a satellite to observe the Sun continuously without being blocked by eclipses or occultation.
Aditya-L1 was indeed placed in a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point, about 1.5 million km from Earth, so A is correct. R is also correct and directly explains A — the L1 location offers a continuous, unobstructed view of the Sun, free from eclipses and occultation, which is precisely why it was chosen for a solar observatory.
- ISRO functions under the Department of Space, which reports directly to the Prime Minister of India.
- IN-SPACe was set up to promote, authorise and supervise space activities by private (non-governmental) entities in India.
Both statements are correct. ISRO operates under the Department of Space (DoS), which is not under a regular line ministry but reports directly to the Prime Minister. IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) was established as a single-window body to promote, authorise and oversee participation of private players in the space sector.
- NavIC is India's regional satellite navigation system, providing positioning services over India and a surrounding region.
- The Gaganyaan mission aims to demonstrate India's capability to send humans to low Earth orbit.
- A geostationary satellite has an orbital period equal to the Earth's rotation period and appears stationary relative to a point on the Earth's surface.
- ISRO's satellites used for remote sensing and Earth observation are typically placed in geostationary orbit.
Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct: NavIC (built on the IRNSS satellites) provides regional positioning over India and roughly 1,500 km beyond, Gaganyaan aims to send a crew to low Earth orbit and return them safely, and a geostationary satellite orbits the equator with a ~24-hour period, appearing fixed relative to the ground. Statement 4 is the deliberate trap — remote sensing and Earth observation satellites are usually placed in sun-synchronous low Earth (polar) orbits for high-resolution, repetitive coverage, not geostationary orbit.
