UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Mission Drishti, world’s first OptoSAR satellite, launched

Q1. The term 'OptoSAR', associated with the recently launched Mission Drishti, refers to which one of the following?

  • A. A satellite platform that integrates Electro-Optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar sensors on a single bus
  • B. A ground-segment software that fuses optical and radar imagery sourced from different satellites
  • C. A constellation of dedicated radar-only satellites optimised for night-time Earth observation
  • D. A laser-based ranging system mounted on conventional radar imaging satellites

Q2. Which one of the following is the largest Earth observation satellite developed entirely by a private Indian entity, as of 2026?

  • A. Mission Drishti (GalaxEye Space)
  • B. Firefly-1 (Pixxel)
  • C. LEAP-TD (Dhruva Space)
  • D. TSAT-1A (Tata Advanced Systems)

Q3. With reference to Mission Drishti, consider the following statements: 1. It carries an X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar sensor. 2. It carries a 7-band multispectral imager. 3. It was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg, California. 4. It is India's first government-developed SAR satellite. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It carries an X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar sensor.
  2. It carries a 7-band multispectral imager.
  3. It was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg, California.
  4. It is India's first government-developed SAR satellite.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. With reference to Mission Drishti compared with earlier Indian Earth observation missions, consider the following statements: 1. Unlike ISRO's RISAT series, Mission Drishti combines optical and SAR sensors on a single platform. 2. Mission Drishti is heavier than every satellite in ISRO's Cartosat series. 3. Mission Drishti was placed in orbit by an Indian launch vehicle from Sriharikota. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Unlike ISRO's RISAT series, Mission Drishti combines optical and SAR sensors on a single platform.
  2. Mission Drishti is heavier than every satellite in ISRO's Cartosat series.
  3. Mission Drishti was placed in orbit by an Indian launch vehicle from Sriharikota.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. With reference to Mission Drishti, consider the following statements: 1. It was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. 2. It was developed by GalaxEye Space, headquartered in Bengaluru. 3. It uses a proprietary data-fusion technology called SyncFused. 4. It was placed in a Geostationary Transfer Orbit at about 36,000 km altitude. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified?

  1. It was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
  2. It was developed by GalaxEye Space, headquartered in Bengaluru.
  3. It uses a proprietary data-fusion technology called SyncFused.
  4. It was placed in a Geostationary Transfer Orbit at about 36,000 km altitude.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only
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