UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — PARLIAMENT QUESTION: HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT AND INDIGENOUS SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Q1. The Gaganyaan Programme, which envisages an Indian human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit, originally received governmental approval in which one of the following forms?

  • A. Approval by the Union Cabinet in December 2018, with an outlay of about ₹10,000 crore
  • B. Approval by the Union Cabinet in December 2021, with an outlay of about ₹9,023 crore
  • C. Approval by the Space Commission in December 2018, with an outlay of about ₹20,193 crore
  • D. Approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security in July 2018, with an outlay of about ₹11,170 crore

Q2. Which one of the following correctly describes the institutional responsibility for executing the Gaganyaan Programme?

  • A. It is executed by ISRO under the Department of Space, which answers for it in Parliament through the Minister for Space
  • B. It is executed by ISRO under the Ministry of Science and Technology, with IN-SPACe authorising each of its crewed flights
  • C. It is executed by NewSpace India Limited, the commercial arm of ISRO under the Department of Space, on a demand-driven basis
  • D. It is executed by the Human Space Flight Centre under the Ministry of Defence, with ISRO supplying only the launch vehicles

Q3. Which one of the following correctly describes the arrangement for developing the first module of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-01)?

  • A. It is being developed in ISRO Centres/Units as a revision in scope of the Gaganyaan Programme, at an estimated cost of about ₹1,763 crore for 2025–2028
  • B. It is being developed by ISRO as a standalone programme separate from Gaganyaan, at an estimated cost of about ₹20,193 crore for 2025–2035
  • C. It is being developed by NewSpace India Limited for the Department of Space, at an estimated cost of about ₹1,763 crore for 2019–2028
  • D. It is being developed by IN-SPACe through authorised private consortia, at an estimated cost of about ₹11,170 crore for 2025–2028

Q4. With reference to the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), consider the following: 1. It is planned as a five-module station in Low Earth Orbit, expected to be fully operational by the 2035 timeframe. 2. Its overall configuration has been reviewed by a National Level Review Committee. 3. Its base module is targeted for launch by 2028. 4. Its subsystems are being designed exclusively to indigenous standards, which precludes interoperability with systems provided by other international agencies. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It is planned as a five-module station in Low Earth Orbit, expected to be fully operational by the 2035 timeframe.
  2. Its overall configuration has been reviewed by a National Level Review Committee.
  3. Its base module is targeted for launch by 2028.
  4. Its subsystems are being designed exclusively to indigenous standards, which precludes interoperability with systems provided by other international agencies.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q5. Which one of the following was the FIRST flight test carried out by ISRO to qualify the Crew Escape System for its human spaceflight programme?

  • A. The Pad Abort Test of July 2018, in which a simulated crew module was lifted clear of the launch pad by quick-acting solid motors and recovered after a parachute descent
  • B. The Test Vehicle Development flight TV-D1 of October 2023, in which the crew module was separated at an in-flight abort condition and recovered from the Bay of Bengal
  • C. The Test Vehicle Abort Mission TV-D2, which simulates an abort scenario at a different point of the ascent phase of the human-rated launch vehicle
  • D. The integrated air-drop test of the crew module parachute cluster, carried out over the sea before the first uncrewed orbital mission G1

Q6. With reference to ISRO's precursor tests for the Gaganyaan Programme, consider the following statements: 1. The Pad Abort Test of 2018 was carried out from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. 2. In the Pad Abort Test, the simulated crew module reached an altitude of nearly 2.7 km before descending under parachutes. 3. The Test Vehicle Development flight TV-D1 was undertaken for performance validation of the Crew Escape System. 4. The Test Vehicle Development flight TV-D1 was flown on the fully configured Human Rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (HLVM3). Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Pad Abort Test of 2018 was carried out from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
  2. In the Pad Abort Test, the simulated crew module reached an altitude of nearly 2.7 km before descending under parachutes.
  3. The Test Vehicle Development flight TV-D1 was undertaken for performance validation of the Crew Escape System.
  4. The Test Vehicle Development flight TV-D1 was flown on the fully configured Human Rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (HLVM3).
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q7. With reference to IN-SPACe and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), consider the following statements: 1. IN-SPACe functions as a single-window agency to authorise and promote space activities of both Government entities and non-government entities. 2. NSIL is a public sector enterprise under the Department of Space, incorporated in 2019, functioning as the commercial arm of ISRO. 3. Authorisations to non-government entities for undertaking space activities are granted by NSIL, while IN-SPACe confines itself to marketing ISRO's technologies. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. IN-SPACe functions as a single-window agency to authorise and promote space activities of both Government entities and non-government entities.
  2. NSIL is a public sector enterprise under the Department of Space, incorporated in 2019, functioning as the commercial arm of ISRO.
  3. Authorisations to non-government entities for undertaking space activities are granted by NSIL, while IN-SPACe confines itself to marketing ISRO's technologies.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. As on June 2026, how many authorisations had the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) issued?

  • A. 106, every one of them issued to a foreign-owned launch service provider
  • B. 133, issued across Government entities and non-government entities
  • C. 4,500, covering all organisations registered with the Centre
  • D. 2,023, one for each satellite launched from Indian soil to date

Q9. As stated in a 2026 reply in Parliament, what was the cumulative expenditure incurred on the Gaganyaan Programme as on January 2026?

  • A. About ₹1,763 crore
  • B. About ₹6,018 crore
  • C. About ₹9,023 crore
  • D. About ₹11,170 crore

Q10. Under the revised scope of the Gaganyaan Programme, consider the following mission designations and their descriptions: 1. G1, G2 and G3 — uncrewed orbital missions 2. H1 and H2 — crewed missions 3. G4 — a docking mission to a space station 4. G5 — the launch of the first module of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. G1, G2 and G3 — uncrewed orbital missions
  2. H1 and H2 — crewed missions
  3. G4 — a docking mission to a space station
  4. G5 — the launch of the first module of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q11. With reference to India's position in human spaceflight relative to other space-faring nations, consider the following statements: 1. On accomplishing its maiden crewed mission, India would become the fourth nation to launch a human spaceflight mission, after the USA, Russia and China. 2. India became the fourth nation to demonstrate autonomous docking and undocking in space, using an indigenously developed docking system. 3. The first Indian to travel to the International Space Station did so in 2025 as part of a commercial mission and not as part of the Gaganyaan crewed flights. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. On accomplishing its maiden crewed mission, India would become the fourth nation to launch a human spaceflight mission, after the USA, Russia and China.
  2. India became the fourth nation to demonstrate autonomous docking and undocking in space, using an indigenously developed docking system.
  3. The first Indian to travel to the International Space Station did so in 2025 as part of a commercial mission and not as part of the Gaganyaan crewed flights.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q12. The revision in scope of the Gaganyaan Programme — enlarging it from three missions to eight and adding the first module of an Indian space station — was accorded approval by which authority, and in which year?

  • A. By the Union Cabinet, in 2024
  • B. By the Space Commission, in 2024
  • C. By the Union Cabinet, in 2021
  • D. By the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, in 2022