RAS question
India's GSLV has launched which of these interplanetary missions?
Correct answer: (C) None; all interplanetary missions used PSLV or LVM3.
India's GSLV has not launched any of the listed interplanetary missions; they used PSLV or LVM3 launch vehicles.
Explanation
The trap is the word GSLV. ISRO's interplanetary record in the given set points away from GSLV: Chandrayaan-1 flew on PSLV-C11, the Mars Orbiter Mission or Mangalyaan flew on PSLV-C25, Chandrayaan-2 flew on LVM3-M1, Chandrayaan-3 flew on LVM3-M4, and Aditya-L1 flew on PSLV-C57. The cited ISRO mission pages confirm the PSLV launches for Chandrayaan-1, Mangalyaan and Aditya-L1, while ISRO's LVM3 launch list records the Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3 LVM3 missions. Therefore, among the options, the only accurate choice is that none of these interplanetary missions was launched by GSLV; GSLV Mk II belongs here as a distractor, not as the launch vehicle.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Chandrayaan-1 was launched by PSLV-C11, so it cannot be cited as an interplanetary mission launched by GSLV.
- (B) Mangalyaan, officially the Mars Orbiter Mission, was launched onboard PSLV-C25, not by GSLV.
- (D) Aditya-L1 was launched by PSLV-C57, so it is another PSLV mission rather than a GSLV-launched one.
Concept
This tests the Science and Technology habit of matching Indian space missions with their actual launch vehicles, not just recognising mission names. RAS repeats such facts because ISRO missions are high-visibility current-affairs topics with precise factual hooks.