UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — ISRO successfully carries out tests of Gaganyaan systems

Q1. The Crew Module Uprighting System (CMUS) of the Gaganyaan crew module, which rights the module after sea splashdown, was designed by which one of the following ISRO centres?

  • A. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram
  • B. Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiamala
  • C. U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru
  • D. Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR), Sriharikota

Q2. In the January 2025 integration activity at LPSC in which the Crew Module Uprighting System was fitted to the Gaganyaan G1 crew module, the Crew Module Propulsion System integrated alongside it consists of how many thrusters of 100 N each?

  • A. 6
  • B. 8
  • C. 12
  • D. 16

Q3. With the Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Test carried out on 7 July 2026 at the ADRDE drop zone, Sheopur, how many tests have been completed in ISRO's IMAT series for Gaganyaan?

  • A. Three
  • B. Four
  • C. Five
  • D. Seven

Q4. The Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Test of July 2026 was designed to qualify the Main Parachute for maximum expected load conditions in which one of the following Gaganyaan missions?

  • A. The first uncrewed orbital mission, G1
  • B. The second Test Vehicle abort mission, TV-D2
  • C. The first crewed Gaganyaan mission
  • D. The third uncrewed orbital mission, G3

Q5. Which one of the following ISRO entities is the lead centre entrusted with the realisation of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme?

  • A. Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC)
  • B. Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST)
  • C. NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)
  • D. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe)

Q6. With reference to the mission architecture of the Gaganyaan programme, consider the following: 1. The mission envisages a crew of three members placed in an orbit of about 400 km for a three-day mission. 2. The designated launcher is the Human Rated LVM3 (HLVM3). 3. The nominal recovery mode is a land touchdown of the crew module in the Thar desert. 4. Final integration of the crew module with the Orbital Module is carried out at the U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The mission envisages a crew of three members placed in an orbit of about 400 km for a three-day mission.
  2. The designated launcher is the Human Rated LVM3 (HLVM3).
  3. The nominal recovery mode is a land touchdown of the crew module in the Thar desert.
  4. Final integration of the crew module with the Orbital Module is carried out at the U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q7. In the context of the Gaganyaan TV-D1 flight, the expression 'in-flight abort demonstration' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Firing of the Crew Escape System to separate the crew module from the ascending vehicle at transonic speed (about Mach 1.2), followed by parachute descent and sea recovery
  • B. Deliberate shutdown of the launch vehicle's cryogenic upper stage after orbital injection to test re-entry margins
  • C. Ground-level firing of the escape motors from a stationary launch pad without any flight of the vehicle
  • D. Jettisoning of the apex cover and payload fairing during coasting to test aerodynamic stability of the crew module

Q8. The Crew Module Propulsion System (CMPS), whose qualification for Gaganyaan involved 14 hot tests aggregating 3,429 seconds at the ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, was developed by which one of the following?

  • A. Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC)
  • B. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)
  • C. Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC)
  • D. Space Applications Centre (SAC)

Q9. With reference to the ten-parachute deceleration system of the Gaganyaan crew module, consider the following pairings of parachute type and number: 1. Apex Cover Separation parachutes — 2 2. Drogue parachutes — 2 3. Pilot parachutes — 3 4. Main parachutes — 4 Which of the above pairings is/are NOT correct?

  1. Apex Cover Separation parachutes — 2
  2. Drogue parachutes — 2
  3. Pilot parachutes — 3
  4. Main parachutes — 4
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 4 only

Q10. Which one of the following is deployed first in the descent sequence of the Gaganyaan crew module's deceleration system?

  • A. Drogue parachutes
  • B. Pilot parachutes
  • C. Main parachutes
  • D. Apex Cover Separation parachutes

Q11. India's human spaceflight programme, unlike the crewed programmes of several other spacefaring nations, is operationalised under which one of the following arms of the Union Government?

  • A. Department of Space
  • B. Ministry of Defence, through the Defence Research and Development Organisation
  • C. Ministry of Science and Technology, through the Department of Science and Technology
  • D. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology