Science & Technology

📘 NDA GAT Section · CFN05

Science & Technology in NDA GAT is dominated by ISRO missions and DRDO systems. Questions are factual and exact: which satellite, what orbit, what payload, what was first. The “first” milestones (first South Pole landing, first solar mission) are heavily tested. Know the full name of each mission and its specific scientific purpose.

📌 NDA Pattern — Science & Technology:
• ISRO: mission name + what it does + what was first/unique | • Payload: instrument name + purpose
• Orbit type: LEO/GEO/halo orbit/L1 point | • Gaganyaan: astronaut names + mission status
• Emerging tech: national mission + budget | • Nobel: winner + country + achievement

1. ISRO Missions (2022–2025)

🚀 Chandrayaan-3 (Aug 2023)

Launch: 14 July 2023 aboard LVM-3 (GSLV Mk-III). Landing: 23 August 2023 at Shiv Shakti Point, near lunar South Pole (69° South latitude).
First ever: First-ever soft landing at the Moon’s South Pole. India became 4th nation to soft-land on the Moon (after USA, USSR, China) — and the ONLY nation to reach the South Pole.
Vikram Lander payloads: ChaSTE (thermal conductivity of lunar surface), ILSA (seismic activity on Moon), RAMBHA-LP (surface plasma density), LRA (NASA-provided laser retroreflector).
Pragyan Rover payloads: APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer — chemical composition), LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy — elemental analysis).
Scientific findings: Confirmed sulphur, aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, silicon, oxygen on South Pole surface. Surface temperature: +50°C at surface; −10°C at 8 cm depth.
23 August = National Space Day (declared by Government of India to commemorate this landing).

☀️ Aditya-L1 (Sep 2023)

Launch: 2 September 2023 (PSLV-C57 rocket). India’s first dedicated solar observation mission.
Placement: Halo orbit around L1 Lagrange Point, ~1.5 million km from Earth (between Earth and Sun). Achieved Jan 6, 2024. L1 advantage: uninterrupted, eclipse-free view of the Sun at all times.
Key payloads: VELC (Visible Emission Line Coronagraph — studies solar corona), SUIT (Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope — UV imaging of photosphere), SoLEXS & HEL1OS (X-ray flare monitors), ASPEX & PAPA (solar wind particle detectors), MAG (in-situ magnetic field measurement).
Scientific objective: Study the solar corona (outermost Sun layer; 1 million°C hotter than surface — the “coronal heating problem”), Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), solar wind. CMEs can disrupt Earth’s power grids, communications, satellites.
Status (2025): Fully operational. Observing solar flares during Solar Maximum (2024–25).

👪 Gaganyaan — India’s Human Spaceflight

Goal: Send 3 Indian astronauts (“Gaganauts”) to 400 km Low Earth Orbit for 3 days and return safely. India will join USA, Russia, China as 4th nation with independent human spaceflight capability.
Crew Astronaut-Designates (4 selected; trained in Russia): Gp Capt Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Gp Capt Ajit Krishnan, Gp Capt Angad Pratap, Gp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla. All are Indian Air Force officers.
Shubhanshu Shukla — AXIOM-4 Mission: Selected as Mission Pilot for Axiom Space’s AXIOM-4 flight to the International Space Station (ISS). First Indian to visit ISS; first Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
Progress: TV-D1 (Oct 2023) — Crew Escape System tested successfully. TV-D2 (2024) — further abort tests. Vyommitra (humanoid robot) to precede crewed flight. Crewed mission planned by 2026.
Rocket: Human-rated LVM-3 (modified GSLV Mk-III). Budget: Rs 9,023 crore.

🌐 Other ISRO Missions

XPoSat (Dec 28, 2023): X-ray Polarimeter Satellite. India’s first — world’s 2nd (after NASA’s IXPE) X-ray polarimetry mission. Studies polarisation of X-rays from cosmic sources (black holes, pulsars, neutron stars). Payloads: POLIX (RRI, Bengaluru) + XSPECT (ISRO).
SSLV-D3 (Aug 2024): Third and final developmental flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle — complete success. Payload: EOS-08. Now ready for commercial small-satellite launch services.
RLV-TD (Pushpak): Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator. Three autonomous runway landing experiments (LEX-01, LEX-02, LEX-03) completed successfully in 2023–24. Future: cost-effective reusable rockets.
NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR): Joint India-USA mission. Dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (L-band by NASA + S-band by ISRO). Maps entire Earth every 12 days. Applications: earthquake/glacier/deforestation monitoring. Expected launch ~2025.
Chandrayaan-4: Planned lunar sample return mission. Will bring Moon soil to Earth. Complex docking manoeuvre in lunar orbit required.

2. Emerging Technologies & National Missions

🤖 Key National Tech Missions

National Quantum Mission (NQM): Rs 6,003 crore outlay (2023–2031). Goal: quantum computers with 50–1,000 qubits by 2031; satellite-based quantum key distribution; quantum sensors. India joins USA, China, EU with dedicated national quantum programme.
IndiaAI Mission: Rs 10,372 crore. Pillars: 10,000 GPU cloud (IndiaAI Compute), open dataset platform, AI Innovation Centre, startup financing. Goal: make India a global AI hub; build foundational Indian-language AI models.
5G Rollout: Launched commercially October 2022 (Airtel + Reliance Jio). 700+ cities by 2024. India among top-10 globally in 5G download speed. Use cases: smart manufacturing, agriculture, telemedicine.
Semiconductor Mission: India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). Micron Technology (USA) building memory chip fab at Sanand, Gujarat — first semiconductor fab in India. Tata Electronics + PSMC (Taiwan) building logic chip fab. Rs 76,000 crore incentive scheme.
CERVAVAC (Cervical Cancer Vaccine): India’s first indigenous quadrivalent HPV vaccine. Serum Institute of India. DCGI approved January 2023. Targets HPV strains 16 & 18 (causing ~70% of cervical cancers). Rs 200–400/dose vs Rs 3,500+ for Gardasil (imported). Added to National Immunisation Programme (girls 9–14 yrs).
Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023: India’s first data privacy law. Data Fiduciary = data collector (must get consent). Data Principal = individual (rights: access, correction, erasure). Penalty: up to Rs 250 crore. Ministry: MeitY.

3. Nobel Prizes 2024

📌 Nobel Prize 2024 — Key Winners

Peace: Nihon Hidankyo (Japan) — Organisation of atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha); recognised for efforts to achieve nuclear-weapon-free world. First Japanese organisation to win Peace Prize since 1974.
Physics: John Hopfield & Geoffrey Hinton (USA) — Foundational discoveries for machine learning via artificial neural networks. Hinton = “Godfather of AI.” Surprising: physics prize for AI/computer science research.
Chemistry: Demis Hassabis & John Jumper (Google DeepMind) + David Baker — AlphaFold (AI-based protein structure prediction). Revolutionary for drug discovery. Maps 3D structure of proteins from amino acid sequence alone.
Medicine/Physiology: Victor Ambros & Gary Ruvkun (USA) — Discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Fundamental to understanding cell development and diseases.
Literature: Han Kang (South Korea) — First Asian woman to win Nobel Literature Prize. Works: “The Vegetarian,” “Human Acts.” Intense prose confronting historical trauma.
Economics: Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, James Robinson (USA/UK) — Research on institutions and prosperity. Thesis: extractive institutions → poverty; inclusive institutions → prosperity. Book: “Why Nations Fail.”

📝 NDA PYQ

Science & Technology — NDA GAT Pattern Questions

Q1. Chandrayaan-3 made history on 23 August 2023. What made this landing unique compared to all previous lunar landings?

(a) First Indian lunar mission (b) First soft landing at the Moon’s South Pole (by any nation) (c) First mission with a lunar rover (d) First joint India-USA Moon mission

Answer: (b) First-ever soft landing at the Moon’s South Pole by any nation
All previous successful landings (USA Apollo, Soviet Luna, China Chang’e) were near the equatorial region. India’s Chandrayaan-3 landed at ~69° South latitude — first in the South Pole region. India = 4th nation to soft-land on Moon; only nation at South Pole. 23 August = National Space Day.

Q2. Aditya-L1 was placed at the L1 Lagrange Point. Approximately how far is L1 from Earth, and what is its key advantage?

(a) 3,84,000 km; on the lunar orbit (b) 1.5 million km from Earth; uninterrupted view of the Sun (c) 150 million km; on the Solar surface (d) 36,000 km; geostationary orbit for weather

Answer: (b) ~1.5 million km from Earth; provides uninterrupted view of the Sun (no eclipses)
L1 (Lagrange Point 1) sits between Earth and Sun. Gravitational balance means objects stay in stable position. From L1, the Sun is always visible without any eclipse by Earth or Moon. Aditya-L1 carries 7 payloads; primary = VELC (coronagraph) studying the solar corona.

Q3. Which astronaut from the Gaganyaan programme is scheduled to fly to the International Space Station as part of the AXIOM-4 mission?

(a) Gp Capt Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair (b) Gp Capt Ajit Krishnan (c) Gp Capt Angad Pratap (d) Gp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla

Answer: (d) Gp Capt Shubhanshu Shukla
Shubhanshu Shukla is the Mission Pilot for AXIOM-4 mission to ISS (Axiom Space, USA). He will be the first Indian to visit the ISS and the first Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma (1984, Soviet Soyuz T-11). The AXIOM-4 experience will also prepare Indian astronauts for the Gaganyaan crewed mission (~2026).

Q4. The Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 was awarded for work related to which technology?

(a) Nuclear fusion energy (b) Quantum computers (c) Artificial intelligence and machine learning (neural networks) (d) Solar energy conversion

Answer: (c) Artificial intelligence and machine learning (neural networks)
John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton received Nobel Physics 2024 for foundational discoveries that enabled machine learning through artificial neural networks. Hinton is called “Godfather of AI.” This surprised many as it is the first time AI/ML research received the Physics prize.

Q5. CERVAVAC is significant in India’s healthcare because it is:

(a) India’s first malaria vaccine (b) India’s first indigenous HPV vaccine for cervical cancer prevention (c) India’s first mRNA vaccine (d) India’s first cancer treatment drug

Answer: (b) India’s first indigenous HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccine for cervical cancer prevention
CERVAVAC was developed by Serum Institute of India. DCGI approved January 2023. Quadrivalent: targets HPV strains 6, 11, 16, 18. Strains 16 & 18 cause ~70% of cervical cancers. Cost: Rs 200–400 per dose vs Rs 3,500+ for imported Gardasil. India has world’s 2nd highest cervical cancer burden. Now in National Immunisation Programme for girls 9–14 years.

📝 Rapid Revision — CFN05 Science & Technology

🚀 ISRO Missions

Chandrayaan-3: Aug 23, 2023; South Pole; Vikram + Pragyan
Aditya-L1: Sep 2, 2023; L1 halo orbit; solar study; Jan 2024
Gaganyaan: 4 astronauts; Shukla → AXIOM-4/ISS
XPoSat: Dec 2023; X-ray polarimetry; POLIX + XSPECT
SSLV-D3: Aug 2024 success; commercial launches

🔭 Chandrayaan-3 Details

Vikram payloads: ChaSTE, ILSA, RAMBHA, LRA (NASA)
Pragyan payloads: APXS + LIBS
Found: Sulphur on South Pole (first confirmation)
Landing point: Shiv Shakti Point
National Space Day: 23 August

🤖 Tech Missions

Quantum Mission: Rs 6,003 cr; 50-1000 qubits by 2031
IndiaAI: Rs 10,372 cr; 10,000 GPU cloud
5G: launched Oct 2022; 700+ cities
1st semiconductor fab: Micron (Sanand, Gujarat)
CERVAVAC: HPV vaccine; Serum Institute; Jan 2023

📌 Nobel 2024

Peace: Nihon Hidankyo (Japan; nuclear abolition)
Physics: Hopfield + Hinton (AI/neural networks)
Chemistry: AlphaFold / protein structure (DeepMind)
Literature: Han Kang (S Korea; 1st Asian woman)
Medicine: microRNA discovery (Ambros + Ruvkun)

⚡ Quick Booster — CFN05

ISRO Quick

Chandrayaan-3 = South Pole; 1st ever; 23 Aug 2023
Aditya-L1 = L1 orbit; solar study (not Moon)
Gaganyaan = 4 IAF officers; crewed ~2026
Shukla = AXIOM-4 = ISS = 1st Indian since 1984
XPoSat = X-ray; POLIX + XSPECT; world 2nd

Tech Quick

Quantum = Rs 6,003 cr; 50-1000 qubits; 2031
5G launched Oct 2022 (India)
1st fab = Micron (USA) at Sanand, Gujarat
CERVAVAC = HPV; Rs 200-400; Serum Institute
DPDP Act 2023 = 1st data privacy law; Rs 250 cr

NDA Traps

L1 = between Earth & Sun (NOT Moon orbit)
Ch-3: 4th nation to soft-land (NOT 1st)
South Pole landing = 1st EVER (key distinction)
Nobel Physics 2024 = AI (NOT nuclear fusion)
XPoSat = world 2nd (after NASA’s IXPE; NOT 1st)

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