Read the given passage and answer the four questions that follow.
The recently launched Mission ShakthiSAT, is an ambitious initiative that aims to empower young girls worldwide to excel in space science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This historic all-girls mission, led by Space Kidz India (SKI), involves a spacecraft journey from lunar-to-lunar orbit and will be part of ISRO's Chandrayaan-4 mission in 2026. Through this mission, SKI seeks to inspire young women to lead in space sciences and demonstrate their potential in STEM fields.
Space Kidz India has a proven track record, having launched 19 Near Space Launch Vehicles, 3 Suborbital Payloads, and 5 Orbital Satellites. The mission's goal is to provide girls with the opportunity to contribute to an actual space mission and witness their satellite journey to the Moon. Srimathy Kesan, Founder and CEO of SKI, emphasized that Mission ShakthiSAT is about creating a global platform where young women can innovate and lead in space sciences. The mission represents the limitless potential of women and their role in shaping the future of space exploration.
Meridian Space Command, a UK-based company, has partnered with SKI for mission management and in-space transportation. Using its orbital transfer vehicle, Meridian will efficiently transport the orbiter and lander to lunar orbit via PSLV, with a planned crash landing on the Moon.
The ShaktiSAT programme also includes an online training curriculum on space technology fundamentals, spacecraft systems, and payload development. Following the online courses, 108 girls from 108 countries will be selected to participate in intensive hands-on training in India, where they will collaborate to design, build, and test a satellite for the mission.
What is the significance of the Chandrayaan-4 mission in relation to ShakthiSAT?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → It is going to be the first mission to use the ShaktiSAT spacecraft.
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, there appears to be a discrepancy in the key: the correct answer should be Option (4) → Its student-built satellite will be launched as part of this mission in 2026, as explained below.
Option 1: It is absolutely unrelated to Mission ShakthiSAT's objectives. — Incorrect. Contradicted: the passage says ShakthiSAT will be part of the Chandrayaan-4 mission.
Option 2: It will carry the first Indian woman astronaut to the Moon. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage says nothing about an astronaut. The mission carries a satellite, and its lander is planned to crash-land on the Moon.
Option 3: It is going to be the first mission to use the ShaktiSAT spacecraft. — Should be Incorrect. (But this is the correct answer in the NTA Answer Key.) The passage says that ShakthiSAT involves a spacecraft journey and will be part of ISRO's Chandrayaan-4 mission, so Chandrayaan-4 will carry the ShaktiSAT spacecraft. But the passage never says it is the "first" mission to use it, or that any later mission will. The word "first" is not supported.
Option 4: Its student-built satellite will be launched as part of this mission in 2026. — Should be Correct. (Incorrect as per NTA) The passage says the all-girls mission will be part of ISRO's Chandrayaan-4 mission in 2026, and that the selected girls will design, build, and test a satellite for the mission. So the satellite built by the young participants goes up as part of Chandrayaan-4 in 2026, which is what this option says, with nothing added.
Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.