1. What is meant by a launch vehicle?
Mention the currently active Indian launch
vehicles.
Ans: Launchers or Launch Vehicles are used to carry spacecraft to space. India has
three active operational launch vehicles: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV),
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), Geosynchronous Satellite
Launch Vehicle Mk-III (LVM3).
2. Name the first two Earth observation satellites launched by ISRO and mention
their year of launch.
Ans: The First Experimental Remote Sensing Satellite built in India is Bhaskara-I.
It was launched in Jun 07,1979.
Rohini Satellite RS-D1, is the second remote sensing satellite launched on May
31,1981
Which was a spin stabilized satellite designed with a power handling capability of
16W.
3. List the scientific spacecraft missions launched by ISRO for research in
astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science.
Ans:
➢ AstroSat – India’s first space observatory for astronomy and astrophysics
➢ Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 – Lunar mission for
planetary science research
➢ Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) – Planetary exploration of Mars
➢ Aditya-L1 – Solar mission for studying the Sun
4. What are the navigation satellite systems of India?
Ans: India operates two satellite-based navigation systems:
1. NavIC (IRNSS) – A regional navigation satellite system developed by the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for positioning, navigation, and
timing services over India and surrounding regions.
2. GAGAN (GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation) – A satellite-based
augmentation system (SBAS) developed jointly by Indian Space Research
Organisation and the Airports Authority of India, primarily to enhance civil
aviation navigation accuracy and integrity over Indian airspace.
5. Which was India’s first satellite? Mention a few details about it.
Ans: The Aryabhata spacecraft, named after the famous Indian astronomer, was
India's first satellite; it was completely designed and fabricated in India and
launched by a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket from Kapustin Yar on April 19, 1975.
6. Expand the following abbreviations related to space and defense organizations.
• NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• ISRO – Indian Space Research Organisation
• DRDO – Defence Research and Development Organisation
• ESA – European Space Agency
• IN-SPACe – Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre
7. Define perigee and apogee.
Ans:
The Fig shows two shaded portions of the elliptical plane in which the orbit moves.
One is closest point to the earth which is called as Perigee. The other is the farthest
point from the earth which is called as Apogee.
8. State Kepler’s third law of planetary motion.
Ans:
The square of the period of revolution of the smaller body about the larger
body equals a constant multiplied by the third power of the semimajor axis of
the orbital ellipse.
That is,
9. What is a satellite antenna and list the types of antennas used in satellite
communication.
Ans: A satellite antenna is a device used to transmit and receive electromagnetic
(RF) signals between a satellite and Earth stations, providing the required gain,
coverage, and directivity for reliable communication.
Antennas used in satellite communication
Some commonly used satellite antennas are:
• Horn antenna
• Parabolic reflector antenna
• Helical antenna
• Phased array antenna
• Multibeam antenna
10. Represent the block schematics of following redundancy connections.
a) Series
b) Parallel
c) Series/Parallel
d) Switched