Consider the following space missions : I. Axiom-4 II. SpaDeX III. Gaganyaan How many of the space missions given above encourage and support micro-gravity research?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two ✓ UPSC's answer
- (c) All the three
- (d) None
Why the answer is (b)
• Axiom-4 (June–July 2025) carried Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station, where he performed ISRO-sponsored microgravity experiments on seeds, microalgae, muscle loss and tardigrades — it supports microgravity research.
• Gaganyaan, India's human spaceflight programme, is explicitly designed to enable microgravity experiments in low Earth orbit and to build towards the Bharatiya Antariksh Station — it supports microgravity research.
• SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment, launched December 2024) was a technology demonstration of autonomous docking and undocking of two small satellites, a capability needed for future stations and Chandrayaan-4; its purpose was docking, not microgravity science.
• Hence two of the three, option (b).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Only one
- Both Axiom-4 and Gaganyaan support microgravity research, so the count is two.
- (c) All the three
- SpaDeX was a docking demonstration, not a microgravity research mission.
- (d) None
- Axiom-4 and Gaganyaan both involve microgravity experiments.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2025, held on 25 May 2025. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.