UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — External team involved in PSLV probe; next launch date in June, says Minister

Q1. In February 2026, which Union Minister announced that an external/third-party expert team had been constituted to probe the consecutive PSLV failures and that the next PSLV launch is targeted for June 2026?

  • A. Ashwini Vaishnaw
  • B. Jitendra Singh
  • C. Piyush Goyal
  • D. Nitin Gadkari

Q2. In the failures of PSLV-C61 (May 2025) and PSLV-C62 (January 2026), which single stage of the launch vehicle has been identified as the principal seat of the anomaly in both missions?

  • A. PS1 — solid first stage
  • B. PS2 — liquid Vikas engine stage
  • C. PS3 — solid HTPB third stage
  • D. PS4 — liquid upper stage

Q3. Which one of the following is the agency/department that operationalises the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) programme of India?

  • A. Defence Research and Development Organisation under the Ministry of Defence
  • B. Indian Space Research Organisation under the Department of Space
  • C. Directorate General of Civil Aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation
  • D. National Atmospheric Research Laboratory under the Ministry of Earth Sciences