✅ Answer: B) August 23, 2023Chandrayaan-3 successfully soft-landed on the Moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023. This date is now celebrated as National Space Day in India. India became the 4th country to soft-land on the Moon (after USA, USSR, China) and the first country to land near the south pole. The landing site was named “Shiv Shakti Point.” The Pragyan rover confirmed the presence of sulphur on the Moon’s south pole.

✅ Answer: B) First Asian country to reach Mars and first country to succeed in maiden attemptIndia’s Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission) made India the first Asian country to reach Mars and the first country in the world to succeed in its maiden attempt. It was launched on November 5, 2013 and reached Mars orbit on September 24, 2014. The mission cost only ~₹450 crore — the cheapest Mars mission in history. It operated for 8 years before losing contact in 2022.

✅ Answer: A) Dr. Vikram SarabhaiDr. Vikram Sarabhai is called the “Father of Indian Space Programme.” He founded ISRO in 1969 and was its first chairman. He established the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad in 1947. The Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota is named after Dr. Satish Dhawan, the 2nd chairman of ISRO. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is called the “Missile Man of India.”

✅ Answer: A) It is the most reliable and frequently used launch vehiclePSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) is called the “Workhorse of ISRO” because it is the most reliable and frequently used launch vehicle. It has a 4-stage engine (alternating solid and liquid). It was used for Chandrayaan-1, Mangalyaan, and numerous remote sensing satellites. PSLV-C37 set a world record by launching 104 satellites in a single mission (2017). LVM3 (GSLV Mk III) is ISRO’s heaviest rocket.

✅ Answer: C) 7NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), officially called IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System), has 7 satellites. It provides positioning accuracy of about 20 metres over India and 1,500 km around it. It was developed as India’s own alternative to GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (EU), and BeiDou (China). NAVIC is used for navigation, disaster management, and vehicle tracking.

✅ Answer: B) September 2023Aditya-L1, India’s first solar mission, was launched on September 2, 2023 by PSLV-C57. It was placed at the L1 Lagrange point (between Earth and Sun) in January 2024. From L1, it can continuously observe the Sun without any eclipses. It studies the solar corona, solar wind, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections. “Aditya” means Sun in Sanskrit.

✅ Answer: A) 1975Aryabhata, India’s first satellite, was launched on April 19, 1975 by the Soviet Union (from Kapustin Yar). It was named after the ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata. It was built by ISRO and studied X-ray astronomy, aeronomics, and solar physics. India’s first indigenously launched satellite was Rohini (RS-1) in 1980, launched by SLV-3 (India’s first launch vehicle).

✅ Answer: C) LVM3 (GSLV Mk III)Gaganyaan will be launched using LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3), formerly known as GSLV Mk III. It is ISRO’s heaviest and most powerful rocket. It will carry 3 Indian astronauts (Vyomanauts) to a 400 km orbit for 3 days. Vyommitra, a humanoid robot, will be sent on test flights before the crewed mission. The 4 selected astronauts are training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia.

✅ Answer: A) Presence of water molecules on the Moon’s surfaceChandrayaan-1 (2008) discovered water molecules (H₂O) on the Moon’s surface — a landmark discovery. The Moon Impact Probe (MIP) was deliberately crashed on the Moon’s south pole. The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument from NASA on Chandrayaan-1 confirmed the water discovery. Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan rover later confirmed the presence of sulphur on the Moon’s south pole in 2023.

✅ Answer: B) Sriharikota, Andhra PradeshThe Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) is located at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. It is India’s primary spaceport and launch centre. It has two launch pads. It is named after Dr. Satish Dhawan, the 2nd chairman of ISRO. VSSC (Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre) in Thiruvananthapuram is ISRO’s main technical centre for launch vehicle development. ISRO’s headquarters is in Bengaluru.