ISRO History and Launch Vehicles

Attempt the quiz above first, then review every question with its correct answer and a short explanation below.

1. Q1.ISRO was formed in:

   • A.1947
   • B.1969✓ Correct Answer
   • C.1957
   • D.1975

   Explanation: It succeeded INCOSPAR.

2. Q2.The headquarters of ISRO are in:

   • A.Thiruvananthapuram
   • B.Sriharikota
   • C.Bengaluru✓ Correct Answer
   • D.Ahmedabad

   Explanation: Ahmedabad hosts the Space Applications Centre.

3. Q3.Who is regarded as the father of the Indian space programme?

   • A.Homi Bhabha
   • B.A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
   • C.Satish Dhawan
   • D.Vikram Sarabhai✓ Correct Answer

   Explanation: He founded the Physical Research Laboratory.

4. Q4.India's first satellite, launched in 1975, was:

   • A.Aryabhata✓ Correct Answer
   • B.Bhaskara
   • C.Rohini
   • D.INSAT-1A

   Explanation: It was named after the ancient astronomer.

5. Q5.India's main satellite launch centre is at:

   • A.Thumba
   • B.Balasore
   • C.Kanyakumari
   • D.Sriharikota✓ Correct Answer

   Explanation: It is the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh.

6. Q6.The workhorse launch vehicle of ISRO is the:

   • A.SLV-3
   • B.ASLV
   • C.GSLV Mk I
   • D.PSLV✓ Correct Answer

   Explanation: PSLV stands for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

7. Q7.The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was set up in:

   • A.1947
   • B.1969
   • C.1962✓ Correct Answer
   • D.1972

   Explanation: Vikram Sarabhai headed it.

8. Q8.Aryabhata was launched from:

   • A.Sriharikota
   • B.Kapustin Yar, USSR✓ Correct Answer
   • C.Cape Canaveral
   • D.Kourou

   Explanation: A Soviet Cosmos-3M rocket carried it.

9. Q9.India's first indigenous satellite launch vehicle was the:

   • A.ASLV
   • B.PSLV
   • C.SLV-3✓ Correct Answer
   • D.GSLV

   Explanation: It put Rohini in orbit in 1980.

10. Q10.The first rocket launched from Thumba in 1963 was a:

    • A.Nike-Apache sounding rocket✓ Correct Answer
    • B.SLV-3
    • C.PSLV-D1
    • D.Rohini-75

    Explanation: Thumba is near Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

11. Q11.The Department of Space and the Space Commission were set up in:

    • A.1962
    • B.1969
    • C.1980
    • D.1972✓ Correct Answer

    Explanation: ISRO was placed under the Department of Space.

12. Q12.Which launch vehicle launched Chandrayaan-1 in 2008?

    • A.GSLV Mk III
    • B.PSLV✓ Correct Answer
    • C.SLV-3
    • D.ASLV

    Explanation: PSLV-C11 carried it from Sriharikota.

13. Q13.The GSLV Mk III is now known as:

    • A.PSLV-XL
    • B.SSLV
    • C.LVM3✓ Correct Answer
    • D.ASLV

    Explanation: LVM3 stands for Launch Vehicle Mark 3.

14. Q14.In February 2017, a single PSLV mission placed how many satellites in orbit?

    • A.50
    • B.104✓ Correct Answer
    • C.75
    • D.120

    Explanation: It was PSLV-C37 and a world record at that time.

15. Q15.India's first satellite launched from Indian soil by an Indian rocket was:

    • A.Aryabhata
    • B.Bhaskara-I
    • C.Rohini RS-1✓ Correct Answer
    • D.APPLE

    Explanation: It was launched in July 1980 by the SLV-3.

16. Q16.Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, flew in 1984 aboard a:

    • A.Soviet Soyuz spacecraft✓ Correct Answer
    • B.American Space Shuttle
    • C.Indian SLV-3
    • D.Chinese Shenzhou

    Explanation: It was a joint Indo-Soviet mission.

17. Q17.India's first earth observation satellite was:

    • A.Aryabhata
    • B.Rohini
    • C.IRS-1A
    • D.Bhaskara-I✓ Correct Answer

    Explanation: It was launched in 1979.

18. Q18.India's first experimental communication satellite, launched in 1981, was:

    • A.INSAT-1A
    • B.APPLE✓ Correct Answer
    • C.Bhaskara-I
    • D.Rohini

    Explanation: APPLE stands for Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment.

19. Q19.Who succeeded Vikram Sarabhai as ISRO chairman in 1972?

    • A.Satish Dhawan✓ Correct Answer
    • B.A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
    • C.U. R. Rao
    • D.K. Kasturirangan

    Explanation: Sriharikota's launch centre is named after him.

20. Q20.The first successful flight of the PSLV took place in:

    • A.1994✓ Correct Answer
    • B.1980
    • C.1988
    • D.2001

    Explanation: PSLV-D2 flew in October 1994 after the 1993 failure of D1.