UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — SpaceX Starship engine failure could hit NASA’s lunar mission

Q1. With reference to the Artemis Accords and the Artemis Programme, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A country that signs the Artemis Accords thereby becomes a partner in NASA's crewed lunar missions under the Artemis Programme.
  2. The Artemis Accords set out principles for civil space activity that do not create legally binding obligations on the signatories.
  3. The Artemis Accords draw on the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and include principles such as registering space objects and releasing scientific data.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q2. Country X is a party to the Outer Space Treaty, 1967 but not to the Moon Agreement, 1979. It sets up a permanent robotic base near the lunar south pole and declares the surrounding crater to be part of its national territory, citing its continuous occupation of the site. Consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. X's claim is inconsistent with the Outer Space Treaty, because using or occupying part of a celestial body does not give a State sovereignty over it.
  2. X's claim would be valid because X has not ratified the Moon Agreement, and only that agreement prohibits national appropriation of the Moon.
  3. X may lawfully station nuclear weapons at its lunar base as long as they are kept only for defence and are never tested.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q3. With reference to liquid rocket propellants, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A semi-cryogenic engine is so called because only its oxidiser, liquid oxygen, needs cryogenic storage, while its kerosene fuel is stored at ordinary temperatures.
  2. In a methalox engine the fuel, liquid methane, must be kept at cryogenic temperatures just as the liquid oxygen oxidiser must.
  3. A cryogenic stage burning hydrogen with oxygen, such as GSLV's cryogenic upper stage, stores both of its propellants at cryogenic temperatures.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q4. Consider the following facts: NASA plans to use privately built landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin for its crewed lunar missions. The same Starship vehicle that SpaceX offers as a lunar lander has also begun deploying commercial satellites, and finding the cause of its recent engine failure is described as critical to SpaceX's bottom line. Which of the inferences given above can validly be drawn from these facts?

  1. A single engine defect in a vehicle used for both commercial and government missions can affect the firm's revenue as well as the public programme's schedule.
  2. NASA, as the purchaser of the lander, will bear the cost of redesigning the Raptor engine if the fault proves to be fleet-wide.
  3. SpaceX has a commercial incentive, independent of its NASA work, to identify and fix the engine fault quickly.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. A designer wants a rocket's first stage to fly back and land using its own engines so that it can be reused, as ISRO plans for the booster of its Next Generation Launch Vehicle. Which one of the following is most essential for such recovery?

  • A. Propellant tanks sized to be emptied completely before stage separation
  • B. A solid-propellant motor with the propellant cast directly into its casing
  • C. Engines that can be shut down and reignited several times during a flight
  • D. Engines designed for one continuous burn from lift-off until final burnout