Which of the following are correct, with reference to Indian satellites and their launchers:
(A) All the INSAT series of satellites were launched abroad.
(B) PSLVs were used to launch IRS-series of satellites.
(C) India used the indigenously built cryogenic engines for the first time for powering the third stage of GSLV
(D) GSAT, launched in the year 2001, has payloads to demonstrate digital broadcast and internet services.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A), (B), (C) and (D)
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, none of the given options appears to be correct, because statement (A) is no longer true, as explained below.
(A) All the INSAT series of satellites were launched abroad. Correct as per NTA; however, it is no longer correct. The INSAT-1 and INSAT-2 satellites and most of the later ones went up on American and European rockets. But INSAT-4CR (2007), INSAT-3DR (2016) and INSAT-3DS (2024) were launched from Sriharikota on India’s own GSLV.
(B) PSLVs were used to launch IRS-series of satellites. Correct. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle was built to place remote sensing satellites in polar orbits, and it has launched many IRS satellites since IRS-P2 in 1994.
(C) India used the indigenously built cryogenic engines for the first time for powering the third stage of GSLV Correct. The early GSLV flights used Russian cryogenic upper stages. India’s own cryogenic upper stage, the third stage of the GSLV, was first flown in 2010 and first worked in January 2014 (GSLV-D5, carrying GSAT-14).
(D) GSAT, launched in the year 2001, has payloads to demonstrate digital broadcast and internet services. Correct. GSAT-1, put up by the first GSLV flight in April 2001, was an experimental satellite carrying payloads for digital audio broadcast, internet services and compressed digital television.