CDS (II) 2024 General Knowledge · Question 25 of 120

Correct — A, 1 and 2 only. Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 are ISRO missions flown in 2023; items 3 and 4 name propulsion categories, not missions.

• (b)1, 2 and 3 — Adds item 3. 'Liquid fuel powered rockets' is a class of launch vehicle, not a mission ISRO undertook in 2023.
• (c)3 and 4 only — Names only the two propulsion items, neither of which is a mission.
• (d)1, 2, 3 and 4 — Includes both non-missions, and 'solar powered rockets' are not an operational launch technology at all.

The item turns on a category distinction: a mission is a specific flight with a destination and objectives, while propulsion type describes how any launcher works.

Chandrayaan-3 launched on 14 July 2023 and its Vikram lander touched down near the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023, making India the first country to land in that region. Aditya-L1 launched on 2 September 2023 to study the Sun from the Sun-Earth L1 point.

• Chandrayaan-3: launched 14 July 2023, landed 23 August 2023.
• Aditya-L1: launched 2 September 2023, India's first dedicated solar observatory.
• Solar-electric propulsion exists for in-space manoeuvring, but 'solar powered rockets' are not a launch technology.
• Both 2023 missions used the LVM3 and PSLV respectively — liquid stages are a means, not a mission.

• Treating a propulsion type as a mission name.
• Confusing Aditya-L1's destination (L1) with an orbit around the Sun.

ISRO items usually test whether you can separate mission names from vehicle or technology names.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Aditya-L1 was placed in a halo orbit around which Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth system?

  • (a)L1
  • (b)L2
  • (c)L4
  • (d)L5

  Answer(a) L1 — it lies between the Sun and the Earth, giving an uninterrupted view of the Sun.