What are the stages of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)?

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is a four-stage rocket developed by ISRO. The first stage uses solid propellant and is responsible for lift-off. The second stage employs the indigenously developed Vikas engine with liquid fuel. The third stage again uses solid propellant to provide rapid acceleration and achieve high velocities. The fourth stage uses liquid propellant to precisely place satellites into their designated orbits.

Why is the Vikas engine important in the PSLV?

The Vikas engine is an indigenously developed liquid-fuel engine used in the second stage of the PSLV. It plays a crucial role in propelling the rocket to an altitude of approximately 220–250 km and ensures stability and efficiency during the ascent phase.

What are cosmic rays and where do they originate?

Cosmic rays are high-energy charged particles that travel through space, consisting mostly of protons along with helium nuclei, electrons, and heavier atomic nuclei. They originate from sources such as supernova explosions, pulsars, active galactic nuclei, and to a lesser extent, solar flares. Because they are charged, their paths are bent by magnetic fields and they do not travel in straight lines.

Did the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter achieve the first powered flight on Mars?

Yes. NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter achieved the first powered and controlled flight on another planet on April 19, 2021. Over nearly three years, it completed 72 flights before its final mission on January 18, 2024, demonstrating the feasibility of aerial exploration on Mars.

What is a petaflop in supercomputing?

A petaflop (PFLOPS) is a unit of computing speed equal to one quadrillion (10^15) floating-point operations per second. It is commonly used to measure the performance of high-performance computing (HPC) systems and supercomputers, such as those developed under India’s National Supercomputing Mission.

Which planet in the solar system has only one moon?

Earth is the only planet in the solar system that has exactly one natural satellite, the Moon. In contrast, Mars has two moons, Jupiter has over 100, Saturn has more than 280, Uranus has 28, and Neptune has 16, while Mercury and Venus have none.

What is the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) of India?

The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is an initiative jointly implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It aims to enhance India's high-performance computing capabilities by establishing supercomputing infrastructure across academic and research institutions. As part of this mission, systems with a cumulative capacity of around 39 petaflops have been deployed at multiple sites.

Daily UPSC Prelims MCQs - Science & Tech. - 8th April 2026

Jigyashu Mishra
Apr 8
1 min read

Test your UPSC CSE 2026 preparation with today’s Science & Technology (Every wednesday) Quiz — covering stages of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, cosmic rays, Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, Petaflop, solar system and more.

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