UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — TDB-DST signs agreement with Agnikul Cosmos for ₹200 crore RDI support to develop fully reusable Agnibaan launch vehicle
Q1. With reference to the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme under which the Technology Development Board has extended support to a reusable launch vehicle project, which one of the following is correct?
- A. It was approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2024, with a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore to be deployed over a period of five years
- B. It was approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2025, with a corpus of ₹50,000 crore to be deployed over a period of six years
- C. It was approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2025, with a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore to be deployed over a period of six years
- D. It was approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2025, with a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore to be deployed over a period of ten years
Q2. Under the RDI Fund, which one of the following has been designated as the Second Level Fund Manager for projects spanning all strategic and sunrise sectors other than biotechnology?
- A. The National Research Development Corporation under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
- B. The Technology Development Board under the Department of Science and Technology
- C. The Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council under the Department of Science and Technology
- D. SIDBI Venture Capital Limited under the Small Industries Development Bank of India
Q3. Consider the following statements about the Technology Development Board:
1. It is a statutory body constituted under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995.
2. It functions under the administrative control of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
3. Its mandate covers both commercialisation of indigenous technology and adaptation of imported technology for wider domestic application.
4. Its assistance is confined to grants-in-aid, and it is not empowered to take equity in an industrial concern.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- It is a statutory body constituted under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995.
- It functions under the administrative control of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
- Its mandate covers both commercialisation of indigenous technology and adaptation of imported technology for wider domestic application.
- Its assistance is confined to grants-in-aid, and it is not empowered to take equity in an industrial concern.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 only
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 2 and 4
Q4. In the context of assistance extended by the Technology Development Board, a 'soft loan' means which one of the following?
- A. A loan on which no interest at all is charged, recoverable by the Board only out of royalties earned from the technology
- B. A loan that must invariably be secured against the personal assets of the promoters and carries interest at prevailing market rates
- C. A loan limited to about half the assessed project cost, carrying a concessional simple rate of interest and repayable to the Board
- D. A loan that necessarily converts into the Board's equity in the assisted company once the project is commissioned
Q5. Consider the following statements regarding financing under the RDI Fund, of the kind extended to the reusable Agnibaan project:
1. Support is available to projects assessed to be at Technology Readiness Level 4 and above.
2. Financing may cover up to 50 per cent of the assessed project cost, exceptions requiring approval of the Empowered Group of Secretaries.
3. Outright grants and short-term loans are among the permitted forms of support under the Fund.
4. All support must take the form of long-term loans, and equity investment in startups is not permitted under any circumstances.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- Support is available to projects assessed to be at Technology Readiness Level 4 and above.
- Financing may cover up to 50 per cent of the assessed project cost, exceptions requiring approval of the Empowered Group of Secretaries.
- Outright grants and short-term loans are among the permitted forms of support under the Fund.
- All support must take the form of long-term loans, and equity investment in startups is not permitted under any circumstances.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 3 and 4
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 4 only
Q6. The establishment of the Special Purpose Fund for the RDI Scheme, along with its Implementation Guidelines and governance framework, was approved by which one of the following?
- A. The Empowered Group of Secretaries led by the Cabinet Secretary
- B. The Governing Board of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, chaired by the Prime Minister
- C. The Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council headed by the Principal Scientific Adviser
- D. The Executive Council of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation
Q7. In the context of the semi-cryogenic liquid engine being developed for the reusable Agnibaan, 'deep throttling' refers to which one of the following?
- A. Progressive venting of propellant in flight so as to reduce vehicle mass during the ascent phase
- B. The engine's ability to run stably at a small fraction of its rated thrust, which, along with in-flight restart, permits controlled descent
- C. Momentary operation of the engine above its rated thrust to obtain extra acceleration during the first-stage burn
- D. Switching of the propellant combination in flight from a semi-cryogenic to a storable liquid pairing for the upper stage
Q8. How many autonomous Landing Experiments (LEX) did ISRO conduct with its Reusable Launch Vehicle 'Pushpak' at the Aeronautical Test Range, Chitradurga, before declaring that series of technology demonstrations complete?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Five
Q9. Agnibaan SOrTeD was flown from 'Dhanush', a launch pad built by Agnikul Cosmos itself. That pad is located within a facility operated by which one of the following?
- A. Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, of the Department of Space
- B. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thumba, of the Department of Space
- C. Integrated Test Range, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, of the Defence Research and Development Organisation
- D. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre campus, Ahmedabad
Q10. The maiden flight of Agnibaan SOrTeD by Agnikul Cosmos is best described by which one of the following?
- A. A 2022 flight that was India's first launch of a privately built launch vehicle
- B. A 2023 flight that was India's first use of a fully cryogenic upper stage by a non-governmental entity
- C. A 2024 flight that was the world's first using a single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine
- D. A 2024 flight that was India's first orbital mission by a privately built launch vehicle
Q11. The roles and responsibilities of IN-SPACe and NewSpace India Limited were formally delineated by which one of the following?
- A. The Space Activities Bill introduced in Parliament in 2017
- B. The Indian Space Policy notified in 2023
- C. The amendment to the Foreign Direct Investment policy on the space sector approved in 2024
- D. The Technology Transfer and Industry Interface Policy of ISRO adopted in 2020
Q12. Consider the following statements about India's launch vehicles and private launch ecosystem:
1. Vikram-S, flown in 2022, was India's first privately built launch vehicle and its flight was sub-orbital.
2. ISRO's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle is a three-stage vehicle using all-solid propulsion, designed to place satellites of up to about 500 kg in low Earth orbit.
3. Skyroot's Vikram-1 is designed to carry about 350 kg to a 500 km low Earth orbit.
4. Every orbital-class launch vehicle developed by an Indian private company uses only solid propellants, liquid propulsion being reserved exclusively for ISRO's vehicles.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- Vikram-S, flown in 2022, was India's first privately built launch vehicle and its flight was sub-orbital.
- ISRO's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle is a three-stage vehicle using all-solid propulsion, designed to place satellites of up to about 500 kg in low Earth orbit.
- Skyroot's Vikram-1 is designed to carry about 350 kg to a 500 km low Earth orbit.
- Every orbital-class launch vehicle developed by an Indian private company uses only solid propellants, liquid propulsion being reserved exclusively for ISRO's vehicles.
- A. 1 and 4
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 4 only