Space GK Questions & Answers Part I

  

Space science has always fascinated humanity — from the mysteries of the stars to humankind’s dream of exploring other planets. This 500-part Space GK series is a comprehensive collection of questions and answers that cover everything about outer space, astronomy, satellites, rockets, and space missions, making it an excellent resource for students, competitive exam aspirants, and knowledge seekers.

The series is divided into 5 parts( 100 Q&A each), ensuring a structured learning journey through the world of space exploration.

Space GK Questions & Answers part I

 

Indian Space (ISRO & Missions)

Q1. When was ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) founded?

A1. 1969.

Q2. Who founded ISRO?

A2. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.

Q3. What was India’s first satellite?

A3. Aryabhata (1975).

Q4. Which country helped India launch Aryabhata?

A4. Soviet Union.

Q5. What is the full form of ISRO?

A5. Indian Space Research Organisation.

Q6. Where is ISRO headquarters located?

A6. Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Q7. Which was India’s first experimental satellite?

A7. Rohini Satellite (RS-1).

Q8. Which was India’s first communication satellite?

A8. APPLE (1981).

Q9. Which launch vehicle is called ISRO’s “workhorse”?

A9. PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle).

Q10. What is the full form of GSLV?

A10. Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.

Q11. Which mission made India the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit?

A11. Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission, 2014).

Q12. Which ISRO mission discovered water molecules on the Moon?

A12. Chandrayaan-1 (2008).

Q13. Which year was Chandrayaan-2 launched?

A13. 2019.

Q14. Which Chandrayaan mission successfully landed on the Moon?

A14. Chandrayaan-3 (2023).

Q15. Who was the first Indian in space?

A15. Rakesh Sharma (1984).

Q16. On which spacecraft did Rakesh Sharma travel to space?

A16. Soyuz T-11.

Q17. Which Indian navigation system is equivalent to GPS?

A17. NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation).

Q18. Which ISRO mission launched 104 satellites at once?

A18. PSLV-C37 (2017).

Q19. Which Indian observatory studies the universe in different wavelengths?

A19. Astrosat (2015).

Q20. What is India’s first reusable launch vehicle prototype called?

A20. RLV-TD (Reusable Launch Vehicle–Technology Demonstrator).

Q21. What is the name of India’s upcoming human spaceflight mission?

A21. Will do.

Q22. Where is ISRO’s main rocket launch centre?

A22. Satish Dhawan Space Centre (Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh).

Q23. Where is the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) located?

A23. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Q24. Which ISRO rocket is designed to launch small satellites?

A24. SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle).

Q25. In which year did India test its cryogenic engine successfully?

A25. 2014 (GSLV-D5).

World Space

Q26. Who was the first human in space?

A26. Yuri Gagarin (1961, Soviet Union).

Q27. Who was the first man to walk on the Moon?

A27. Neil Armstrong (1969).

Q28. Which U.S. mission first landed on the Moon?

A28. Apollo 11.

Q29. Who was the second man on the Moon?

A29. Buzz Aldrin.

Q30. Who was the first woman in space?

A30. Valentina Tereshkova (1963, Soviet Union).

Q31. Who was the first American in space?

A31. Alan Shepard (1961).

Q32. What was the first artificial satellite launched into space?

A32. Sputnik 1 (1957).

Q33. Which country launched Sputnik 1?

A33. Soviet Union.

Q34. Who was the first American to orbit Earth?

A34. John Glenn (1962).

Q35. Which spacecraft carried the first humans to orbit the Moon?

A35. Apollo 8 (1968).

Q36. Which was the first reusable spacecraft?

A36. NASA’s Space Shuttle (first flight 1981).

Q37. Which U.S. space shuttle was destroyed in 1986?

A37. Challenger.

Q38. Which U.S. space shuttle was destroyed in 2003?

A38. Columbia.

Q39. What is the largest artificial structure in space?

A39. International Space Station (ISS).

Q40. Which country was the first to send a spacecraft to the far side of the Moon?

A40. China (Changge-4, 2019).

Q41. Which planet is known as the “Red Planet”?

A41. March.

Q42. Which planet is the largest in the solar system?

A42. Jupiter.

Q43. Which planet is closest to the Sun?

A43. Mercury.

Q44. Which planet has the longest day?

A44. Venus.

Q45. Which planet has a Great Red Spot storm?

A45. Jupiter.

Q46. Which planet has the most rings?

A46. Saturn.

Q47. Which is the hottest planet in our solar system?

A47. Venus.

Q48. Which planet rotates on its side?

A48. Uranus.

Q49. Which is the smallest plane

t in the solar system?

A49. Mercury.

Q50. Which dwarf planet was once considered the ninth planet?

A50. Pluto.

Solar System & Universe

Q51. What is the Sun mainly made of?

A51. Hydrogen and Helium.

Q52. What type of star is the Sun?

A52. Yellow dwarf (G-type main-sequence star).

Q53. What is the closest star to Earth after the Sun?

A53. Proxima Centauri.

Q54. What is the brightest star in the night sky?

A54. Sirius.

Q55. What galaxy do we live in?

A55. The Milky Way Galaxy.

Q56. What is the closest galaxy to the Milky Way?

A56. Andromeda Galaxy.

Q57. What is a light-year?

A57. The distance light travels in one year (~9.46 trillion km).

Q58. Which is the largest planet in our solar system?

A58. Jupiter.

Q59. Which is the smallest planet in our solar system?

A59. Mercury.

Q60. Which planet has the fastest rotation?

A60. Jupiter.

Q61. Which planet is known as “Earth’s twin”?

A61. Venus.

Q62. Which planet is known as the “Blue Planet”?

A62. Earth.

Q63. Which planet is known for having the largest volcano in the solar system?

A63. Mars (Olympus Mons).

Q64. Which planet has the strongest winds?

A64. Neptune.

Q65. Which planet is tilted about 98 degrees on its axis?

A65. Uranus.

Q66. Which planet has the most moons?

A66. Saturn (over 80 confirmed).

Q67. Which planet is called the “Morning Star” or “Evening Star”?

A67. Venus.

Q68. What is the asteroid belt?

A68. A region of space between Mars and Jupiter containing many asteroids.

Q69. What is a comet mostly made of?

A69. Ice, dust, and gas.

Q70. What is a meteor called if it reaches Earth’s surface?

A70. Meteorite.

Space Discoveries & Astronomy

Q71. Who proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system?

A71. Nicolaus Copernicus.

Q72. Who discovered the laws of planetary motion?

A72. Johannes Kepler.

Q73. Who discovered the law of gravity?

A73. Sir Isaac Newton.

Q74. Who discovered Saturn’s rings through a telescope?

A74. Galileo Galilei.

Q75. Who was the first to classify galaxies?

A75. Edwin Hubble.

Q76. What does the Hubble Space Telescope observe?

A76. Deep space objects like galaxies, stars, and nebulae.

Q77. What is the name of NASA’s most powerful telescope launched in 2021?

A77. James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Q78. What is a black hole?

A78. A region in space where gravity is so strong that not even light can escape.

Q79. What is a supernova?

A79. A massive explosion at the end of a star’s life cycle.

Q80. What is a neutron star?

A80. A very dense remnant of a massive star after a supernova.

Q81. What is a pulsar?

A81. A rotating neutron star that emits beams of radiation.

Q82. What is a quasar?

A82. An extremely bright and distant active galactic nucleus.

Q83. What is dark matter?

A83. A mysterious, invisible substance that makes up most of the universe’s mass.

Q84. What is dark energy?

A84. A mysterious force causing the universe’s accelerated expansion.

Q85. What is the Big Bang Theory?

A85. The theory that the universe began with a massive explosion ~13.8 billion years ago.

Space Organizations & Missions

Q86. What does NASA stand for?

A86. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (USA).

Q87. What does ESA stand for?

A87. European Space Agency.

Q88. What does CNSA stand for?

A88. China National Space Administration.

Q89. What is SpaceX?

A89. A private aerospace company founded by Elon Musk.

Q90. Which is the first private spacecraft to deliver cargo to the ISS?

A90. SpaceX Dragon (2012).

Q91. What is the name of SpaceX’s reusable rocket?

A91. Falcon 9.

Q92. What is the name of SpaceX’s spacecraft designed for Mars missions?

A92. Starship.

Q93. What is Blue Origin?

A93. A private space company founded by Jeff Bezos.

Q94. What is the name of Blue Origin’s suborbital rocket?

A94. New Shepard.

Q95. What is Roscosmos?

A95. Russian space agency.

Q96. Which countries are partners in the International Space Station (ISS)?

A96. USA, Russia, Japan, Canada, and European nations.

Q97. Which planet did NASA’s Perseverance rover land on in 2021?

A97. Mars.

Q98. What is the name of NASA’s helicopter on Mars?

A98. Ingenuity.

Q99. What is the name o

f the Indian human spaceflight mission planned by ISRO?

A99. Will do.

Q100. Which ISRO mission will study the Sun?

A100. Aditya-L1 (launched 2023).

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Space GK Questions & Answers Part II

 

Now we will continue with Part 2 (101–200) 

Indian Space (ISRO & Missions)

Q101. Who is known as the “Father of the Indian Space Program”?

A101. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.

Q102. Which satellite is called India’s first experimental satellite for communication?

A102. APPLE (1981).

Q103. Which launch vehicle was used to launch India’s first satellite Aryabhata?

A103. Kosmos-3M (Soviet Union).

Q104. Which Indian satellite was specifically designed for meteorology?

A104. INSAT series.

Q105. Which Indian rocket is called the “workhorse of ISRO”?

A105. PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle).

Q106. Which ISRO mission placed 104 satellites in a single launch?

A106. PSLV-C37 (2017).

Q107. Which mission made India the first country to reach Mars orbit in its first attempt?

A107. Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission, 2014).

Q108. Which Indian satellite provides navigation services similar to GPS?

A108. NavIC.

Q109. Which was India’s first lunar probe?

A109. Chandrayaan-1 (2008).

Q110. Which Chandrayaan mission successfully landed near the Moon’s south pole?

A110. Chandrayaan-3 (2023).

Q111. Which Indian observatory studies the universe in multiple wavelengths?

A111. Astrosat (2015).

Q112. Which satellite launch vehicle is specifically for small satellites?

A112. SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle).

Q113. Which year did ISRO successfully test its cryogenic engine technology?

A113. 2014 (GSLV-D5).

Q114. Where is ISRO’s Space Applications Centre located?

A114. Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Q115. Where is ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) located?

A115. Hassan (Karnataka) and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).

Q116. Who was India’s first astronaut in space?

A116. Rakesh Sharma (1984).

Q117. What was Rakesh Sharma’s famous reply to Indira Gandhi about India from space?

A117. “Saare Jahan Se Achha.”

Q118. Which rocket was developed as a reusable spaceplane prototype by ISRO?

A118. RLV-TD (Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator).

Q119. Which Indian satellite was dedicated to disaster management?

A119. INSAT-3D.

Q120. Which Indian mission is planned to send humans into space?

A120. Gaganyaan.

World Space

Q121. Who was the first man to travel into space?

A121. Yuri Gagarin (1961, Soviet Union).

Q122. Who was the first woman in space?

A122. Valentina Tereshkova (1963, Soviet Union).

Q123. Who was the first American in space?

A123. Alan Shepard (1961).

Q124. Which space mission first landed humans on the Moon?

A124. Apollo 11 (1969).

Q125. Who was the second man to walk on the Moon?

A125. Buzz Aldrin.

Q126. Which U.S. President announced the Apollo program goal of landing a man on the Moon?

A126. John F. Kennedy (1961).

Q127. Which space mission faced the quote “Houston, we have a problem”?

A127. Apollo 13 (1970).

Q128. Which telescope was launched in 1990 and revolutionized astronomy?

A128. Hubble Space Telescope.

Q129. Which is the most powerful space telescope currently operational?

A129. James Webb Space Telescope (2021).

Q130. Which was the first artificial satellite launched into space?

A130. Sputnik 1 (1957).

Q131. Which country launched Sputnik 1?

A131. Soviet Union.

Q132. Which mission sent the first human crew to orbit the Moon?

A132. Apollo 8 (1968).

Q133. Who was the first American woman in space?

A133. Sally Ride (1983).

Q134. Which was the first reusable spacecraft?

A134. Space Shuttle (NASA, first flight 1981).

Q135. Which space shuttle was destroyed in 1986?

A135. Challenger.

Q136. Which space shuttle was destroyed in 2003?

A136. Columbia.

Q137. Which is the largest artificial structure in space?

A137. International Space Station (ISS).

Q138. Which two space probes are currently in interstellar space?

A138. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.

Q139. Which planet is known as the “Red Planet”?

A139. Mars.

Q140. Which planet is the largest in our solar system?

A140. Jupiter.

Q141. Which planet has the Great Red Spot storm?

A141. Jupiter.

Q142. Which planet has the most extensive ring system?

A142. Saturn.

Q143. Which is the hottest planet in the solar system?

A143. Venus.

Q144. Which planet rotates on its side?

A144. Uranus.

Q145. Which planet takes the shortest time to orbit the Sun?

A145. Mercury.

Q146. Which dwarf planet was once considered the ninth planet of the solar system?

A146. Pluto.

Q147. Which space mission visited Pluto in 2015?

A147. New Horizons.

Q148. Which space mission landed the first rover on Mars?

A148. Sojourner (Mars Pathfinder, 1997).

Q149. Which NASA rover landed on Mars in 2012?

A149. Curiosity.

Q150. Which NASA rover landed on Mars in 2021?

A150. Perseverance.

Space Science & Phenomena

Q151. What is an exoplanet?

A151. A planet that orbits a star outside our solar system.

Q152. Which was the first exoplanet discovered?

A152. 51 Pegasi b (1995).

Q153. Which telescope discovered thousands of exoplanets?

A153. Kepler Space Telescope.

Q154. What is the habitable zone?

A154. The region around a star where liquid water can exist on a planet’s surface.

Q155. What is a red giant?

A155. A late stage of a star’s life when it expands and cools.

Q156. What is a white dwarf?

A156. The hot, dense remnant of a star after it has shed its outer layers.

Q157. What is a brown dwarf?

A157. A failed star, larger than a planet but not massive enough to sustain nuclear fusion.

Q158. What is cosmic microwave background radiation?

A158. The leftover radiation from the Big Bang.

Q159. What is a nebula?

A159. A giant cloud of gas and dust in space where stars are born.

Q160. What is the Orion Nebula?

A160. A famous star-forming region located in the Orion constellation.

Space Missions & Records

Q161. Which was the first spacecraft to land on the Moon?

A161. Luna 2 (Soviet Union, 1959).

Q162. Which was the first spacecraft to orbit Mars?

A162. Mariner 9 (USA, 1971).

Q163. Which was the first spacecraft to land on Mars?

A163. Viking 1 (USA, 1976).

Q164. Which was the first spacecraft to visit Jupiter?

A164. Pioneer 10 (USA, 1973).

Q165. Which spacecraft sent the first images of Saturn?

A165. Pioneer 11 (1979).

Q166. Which spacecraft studied all four giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)?

A166. Voyager 2.

Q167. Which spacecraft has traveled the farthest from Earth?

A167. Voyager 1.

Q168. Which spacecraft studied Pluto?

A168. New Horizons (2015).

Q169. Which is the first spacecraft to collect asteroid samples and return them to Earth?

A169. Hayabusa2 (Japan, 2020).

Q170. Which NASA mission collected samples from asteroid Bennu?

A170. OSIRIS-REx (2020).

Indian Space Research (Advanced)

Q171. What is PSLV’s full form?

A171. Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

Q172. What is GSLV’s full form?

A172. Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.

Q173. What is GSLV Mk III also called?

A173. LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3).

Q174. Which was India’s first experimental satellite launch vehicle?

A174. SLV-3.

Q175. Who was the project director of SLV-3?

A175. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Q176. Which Indian satellite was launched for navigation purposes?

A176. IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System), also called NavIC.

Q177. What does GSAT stand for?

A177. Geostationary Satellite.

Q178. What does RISAT stand for?

A178. Radar Imaging Satellite.

Q179. Which is ISRO’s first dedicated astronomy satellite?

A179. ASTROSAT (2015).

Q180. Which Indian satellite will study climate and weather?

A180. INSAT series.

Space Knowledge & Records

Q181. Who was the first person to say “Earth revolves around the Sun”?

A181. Nicolaus Copernicus.

Q182. Which scientist discovered that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies?

A182. Edwin Hubble.

Q183. Who first described gravity mathematically?

A183. Sir Isaac Newton.

Q184. Who developed the theory of relativity?

A184. Albert Einstein.

Q185. What is the speed of light?

A185. 299,792 km per second.

Q186. What is the escape velocity from Earth?

A186. About 11.2 km per second.

Q187. Which planet is the hottest in the solar system?

A187. Venus.

Q188. Which planet has the longest day?

A188. Venus.

Q189. Which planet has the shortest day?

A189. Jupiter.

Q190. Which planet has a moon larger than Mercury?

A190. Jupiter (Ganymede).

Current & Future Missions

Q191. What is NASA’s Artemis program?

A191. A mission to return humans to the Moon.

Q192. What is ISRO’s Shukrayaan mission?

A192. India’s planned mission to Venus.

Q193. What is ISRO’s LUPEX mission?

A193. A lunar polar exploration mission with Japan.

Q194. What is NASA’s Dragonfly mission?

A194. A mission to study Titan, Saturn’s moon.

Q195. What is Europa Clipper?

A195. NASA’s mission to study Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Q196. What is JUICE mission by ESA?

A196. Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (launched 2023).

Q197. What is Chandrayaan-4 expected to do?

A197. A planned lunar sample-return mission.

Q198. What is India’s first space observatory?

A198. ASTROSAT.

Q199. Which mission will explore asteroids made of metal?

A199. NASA’s Psyche mission.

Q200. Which mission is planned to bring Mars soil to Earth?

A200. Mars Sample Return Mission (NASA + ESA).

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