UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Ground control

Q1. Which one of the following correctly describes the status and mandate of IN-SPACe in India's space sector?

  • A. An autonomous single-window agency within the Department of Space that authorises, promotes and supervises space activities of non-government entities
  • B. A statutory regulator created under the Indian Space Policy, 2023 to license, audit and penalise non-government entities engaged in space activities
  • C. A wholly government-owned central public sector enterprise under the Department of Space that produces and markets space-based products and services
  • D. An apex inter-ministerial body chaired by the Prime Minister that approves the annual space programme and the budget of the Department of Space

Q2. Under the Indian Space Policy, 2023, the responsibility for manufacturing and procuring space systems on commercial principles and delivering end-to-end space solutions to government entities and non-government entities has been assigned to which one of the following?

  • A. NewSpace India Limited, the central public sector enterprise under the Department of Space
  • B. IN-SPACe, the autonomous single-window body under the Department of Space
  • C. Antrix Corporation Limited, the marketing agency under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. National Remote Sensing Centre, the data dissemination centre under the Department of Space

Q3. Consider the following activities and the corresponding limits of foreign direct investment permitted through the automatic route in India's space sector: 1. Satellite manufacturing and operation — up to 74 per cent. 2. Satellite data products — up to 100 per cent. 3. Launch vehicles and creation of spaceports — up to 49 per cent. 4. Manufacturing of components and sub-systems for satellites, ground segment and user segment — up to 100 per cent. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Satellite manufacturing and operation — up to 74 per cent.
  2. Satellite data products — up to 100 per cent.
  3. Launch vehicles and creation of spaceports — up to 49 per cent.
  4. Manufacturing of components and sub-systems for satellites, ground segment and user segment — up to 100 per cent.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 and 3

Q4. Which one of the following was the first satellite built by ISRO to be placed in orbit?

  • A. Aryabhata, placed in orbit in 1975 with the assistance of the Soviet Union
  • B. Rohini RS-1, placed in orbit in 1980 by the SLV-3 from Sriharikota
  • C. Bhaskara-I, placed in orbit in 1979 for earth observation experiments
  • D. APPLE, placed in orbit in 1981 as an experimental communication satellite

Q5. Consider the following statements about the origin and administrative placement of ISRO: 1. The Indian National Committee for Space Research, constituted in 1962, was reorganised as ISRO in 1969. 2. A Space Commission and the Department of Space were set up in 1972, and ISRO was brought under the Department of Space. 3. The Department of Space functions under the Ministry of Science and Technology, which allocates ISRO's budget. 4. The Chairman of ISRO also functions as the chief executive of the Department of Space. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Indian National Committee for Space Research, constituted in 1962, was reorganised as ISRO in 1969.
  2. A Space Commission and the Department of Space were set up in 1972, and ISRO was brought under the Department of Space.
  3. The Department of Space functions under the Ministry of Science and Technology, which allocates ISRO's budget.
  4. The Chairman of ISRO also functions as the chief executive of the Department of Space.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q6. The Seed Fund Scheme, which provides early-stage grants of up to Rs 1 crore covering up to 60 per cent of project cost for space start-ups and MSMEs, is implemented by which one of the following?

  • A. IN-SPACe, the nodal agency headquartered at Bopal, Ahmedabad
  • B. NewSpace India Limited, the commercial arm under the Department of Space
  • C. Technology Development Board under the Department of Science and Technology
  • D. Startup India cell of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade

Q7. As per the DPIIT Start-Up India Portal, the number of space start-ups in India rose from just 1 in 2014 to how many in 2023?

  • A. 98
  • B. 143
  • C. 189
  • D. 254

Q8. The GSLV-F17 mission that placed EOS-05 into a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit was flown from which one of the following facilities?

  • A. The First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota
  • B. The Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station near Thiruvananthapuram
  • C. The Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota
  • D. The Third Launch Pad approved by the Union Cabinet for heavier launch vehicles

Q9. With reference to the recent exchange between ISRO's employee associations and the space administration over the transfer of manufacturing functions to private entities, consider the following statements: 1. The employee associations sought official clarification from the Department of Space on the legal and administrative basis, the phasing, and the consequences for the existing workforce and future public recruitment of the proposed transfer. 2. The IN-SPACe Chairman replied that ISRO alone would carry out all the launches required to meet India's target of 50 launches a year by 2030. 3. The associations contended that technology developed by ISRO is a national asset whose transfer must be transparent and accountable, and consistent with strategic, safety and employment considerations. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The employee associations sought official clarification from the Department of Space on the legal and administrative basis, the phasing, and the consequences for the existing workforce and future public recruitment of the proposed transfer.
  2. The IN-SPACe Chairman replied that ISRO alone would carry out all the launches required to meet India's target of 50 launches a year by 2030.
  3. The associations contended that technology developed by ISRO is a national asset whose transfer must be transparent and accountable, and consistent with strategic, safety and employment considerations.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. Consider the following propositions about the future division of labour in India's launch sector: 1. ISRO would eventually cease to manufacture launch vehicles, with the private sector and public sector undertakings taking over such manufacture. 2. India is working towards a target of 50 launches a year by 2030. 3. ISRO's research would continue to push the frontiers of what is possible. 4. IN-SPACe itself would take over the manufacture of the launch vehicles presently built by ISRO. Which of the above are correctly identified as positions articulated by the IN-SPACe Chairman?

  1. ISRO would eventually cease to manufacture launch vehicles, with the private sector and public sector undertakings taking over such manufacture.
  2. India is working towards a target of 50 launches a year by 2030.
  3. ISRO's research would continue to push the frontiers of what is possible.
  4. IN-SPACe itself would take over the manufacture of the launch vehicles presently built by ISRO.
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q11. Which one of the following statements about NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) is correct?

  • A. It executed India's first dedicated commercial mission of the LVM3, placing 36 OneWeb satellites into low earth orbit in October 2022
  • B. It is the sole agency empowered to authorise all space activities undertaken by non-government entities anywhere in India
  • C. It has been vested by the Union Cabinet with the ownership of all the in-orbit communication satellites of the Government of India
  • D. It manufactures every launch vehicle flown by ISRO, which has been left with purely research and development functions