UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 76
Consider the following statements :
- The Mangalyaan launched by ISRO is also called the Mars Orbiter Mission
- made India the second country to have a spacecraft orbit the Mars after USA
- made India the only country to be successful in making its spacecraft orbit the Mars in its very first attempt
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Correct Option: C
Explanation: ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) reached Mars orbit in September 2014 on India’s first interplanetary attempt. Multiple other space agencies had achieved Mars orbit earlier.
Statement/Pair-wise Analysis:
Statement/Item 1: Correct - Mangalyaan is the popular name for India’s Mars Orbiter Mission.
Statement/Item 2: Incorrect - The former USSR, European Space Agency and others achieved Mars orbit before India; India was not second after the US.
Statement/Item 3: Correct - India became the first country to reach Mars orbit successfully on its maiden attempt.
Option-wise Analysis:
A: Incorrect - omits correct statement/item 3.
B: Incorrect - includes incorrect statement/item 2; omits correct statement/item 1.
C: Correct - includes all and only the true statements/items.
D: Incorrect - includes incorrect statement/item 2.
Review Note: The source stem breaks the sentence into separate items 1–3; this explanation treats them as the three listed statements.