Science, Technology and Space - Current PYQs – Current Affairs, SSC & Railway

Answer: Option 1 — Pune
In October 2024 Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated India's first Demonstration Facility for Biopolymers at Jejuri, Pune (Maharashtra), set up by Praj Industries.
Revision note — India's first biopolymer facilities
• Biopolymers are polymers from renewable biological sources (sugarcane, corn); they are biodegradable — an alternative to petroleum plastics.
• The Pune facility makes PLA (polylactic acid), a leading bioplastic.
• It supports the BioE3 policy (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment), approved by the Union Cabinet in August 2024.
• India's first biopolymer manufacturing plant (PLA) is being set up in Uttar Pradesh by Balrampur Chini Mills at Kumbhi, Lakhimpur Kheri.
• Dr Jitendra Singh is MoS (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, and MoS in the PMO.
Do not mix these up
• Demonstration facility (Pune, Praj, 2024) vs commercial manufacturing plant (Uttar Pradesh, Balrampur Chini).
Also asked from this topic: the state where India's first biopolymer manufacturing plant is being set up (Uttar Pradesh).

Answer: Option 2 — EOS-08
ISRO marked its 55th foundation day (founded 15 August 1969) with the launch of the Earth Observation Satellite EOS-08 on SSLV-D3 from Sriharikota.
The launch took place on 16 August 2024, a day after the anniversary itself.
Revision note — EOS-08 and SSLV-D3
• SSLV-D3 was the third and final developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle.
• EOS-08 (about 175 kg) was placed in a 475 km circular low Earth orbit; planned life 1 year.
• Payloads: EOIR (electro-optical infrared imaging), GNSS-R (reflectometry for soil moisture, ocean winds, floods) and a SiC UV dosimeter for Gaganyaan.
• SSLV: three solid stages plus a liquid Velocity Trimming Module; carries up to 500 kg to low Earth orbit; built for low-cost, on-demand launches.
• Earlier EOS: EOS-07 on SSLV-D2 (Feb 2023); EOS-06 (Oceansat-3) on PSLV-C54 (Nov 2022); EOS-04 (RISAT-1A) on PSLV-C52 (Feb 2022).
• ISRO was founded under Vikram Sarabhai; headquarters Bengaluru.
Also asked from this topic: what sets the SSLV apart (low-cost, on-demand launches); the lift-off mass of the SSLV (about 120 tonnes); the satellite SSLV-D2 placed in orbit (EOS-07).

Answer: Option 1 — IIT Dharwad
A team of students and professors of IIT Dharwad (Karnataka) unveiled an innovative fire rescue drone at a workshop on 31 May – 1 June 2024.
Revision note — IIT Dharwad fire rescue drone (June 2024)
• Led by Prof. Sudheer Siddapureddy and Prof. Ameer Mulla of IIT Dharwad.
• Backed by the TiHAN Foundation (the autonomous-navigation technology hub at IIT Hyderabad) with Government of India funding.
• Uses thermal imaging to detect hotspots, track fire spread and judge flame intensity.
• Built with soot-resistant sensors, flexible heat shields and a compact body to move through confined, smoke-filled spaces.
• Also meant for crowd safety at railway stations, malls and pilgrimage centres, and for fire detection at night or in low visibility.
The drone helps firefighters see and locate the fire; it is a detection-and-assessment aid.

Answer: Option 4 — PraVaHa
PraVaHa (Parallel RANS Solver for Aerospace Vehicle Aero-thermo-dynamics) is a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software.
It was developed by ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram.
It simulates air flow over launch vehicles, winged bodies and re-entry capsules, cutting down costly wind-tunnel tests.
Revision note — ISRO, VSSC and indigenous space software
• VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram is ISRO's lead centre for launch vehicles — SLV, PSLV, GSLV and LVM3 are designed there.
• PraVaHa can analyse both aeroplanes (winged bodies) and rockets / re-entry capsules (non-winged bodies).
• It is used in the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme to study the aerodynamics of the crew module and launch vehicle.
• CFD = solving the equations of fluid flow on a computer to find pressure, drag and heating on a body.
• ISRO was formed on 15 August 1969 from INCOSPAR (1962); Vikram Sarabhai is the father of the Indian space programme.
• Launches take place from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh).
Also asked from this topic: the main role of VSSC (designs and builds launch vehicles); the first Chairman of ISRO (Vikram Sarabhai).

Answer: Option 3 — Gopichand Thotakura
Gopichand (Gopi) Thotakura, a pilot and entrepreneur from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, became India's first civilian space tourist.
He flew on Blue Origin's New Shepard NS-25 suborbital flight on 19 May 2024.
Revision note — Indians in space
• Rakesh Sharma — first Indian in space, Soyuz T-11, April 1984 ("Saare Jahan Se Achha").
• Kalpana Chawla — first Indian-born woman in space (STS-87, 1997); died in the Columbia disaster (2003).
• Gopichand Thotakura — first Indian space tourist (NS-25, May 2024), crossing the Kármán line (100 km).
• Gaganyaan astronaut-designates (announced February 2024): Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, Shubhanshu Shukla.
• New Shepard is a reusable suborbital rocket of Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos.
• As of 2026: Shubhanshu Shukla flew to the ISS on Axiom Mission 4 in June–July 2025, the first Indian aboard the ISS.
Do not mix these up
• Space tourist vs astronaut — Thotakura paid as a private passenger; Nair, Krishnan and Shukla are IAF test pilots chosen for Gaganyaan.
Also asked from this topic: the Indian company that launched Agnibaan SOrTeD with a 3D-printed engine (Agnikul); India's first privately developed rocket (Vikram-S, Skyroot Aerospace).

Answer: Option 3 — Lupex
LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration Mission) is a joint mission of ISRO and Japan's JAXA to explore the Moon's south polar region.
Revision note — LUPEX mission
• Main aim: study the quantity and quality of water (ice) in the lunar polar region.
• JAXA builds the launch vehicle (H3) and the rover; ISRO builds the lander.
• It will land near the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole.
• JAXA = Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; ISRO HQ is in Bengaluru.
• Earlier Indian Moon missions: Chandrayaan-1 (2008), Chandrayaan-2 (2019), Chandrayaan-3 (landed 23 August 2023) near the south pole.
• As of 2026: LUPEX is being taken up as Chandrayaan-5, to fly on Japan's H3 rocket.
Also asked from this topic: the launch vehicle for Chandrayaan-5 (H3-24L); the primary objective of LUPEX (to study water on the Moon).

Answer: Option 4 — 12,000
Space Kidz India launched the ShakthiSAT mission in 2024 to train 12,000 girls aged 14–18 from 108 countries in space technology, aiming to build a satellite for a lunar mission.
Revision note — ShakthiSAT and student space missions
• Space Kidz India is a Chennai-based space-education start-up led by Srimathy Kesan.
• Its earlier student satellites include Kalamsat-V2 (2019, launched on PSLV-C44) and AzaadiSAT (2022, SSLV-D1, built by 750 schoolgirls).
• Chandrayaan-4 is ISRO's planned lunar sample-return mission, to be launched in two LVM3 flights.
• The mission promotes girls in STEM and global cooperation in space education.
Also asked from this topic: the number of launches planned for Chandrayaan-4 (two).