UPSC Current Affairs MCQs - Science, Space and Defence News 2026 (Set 4)

Q1. Which of the following is correct about ISRO's PSLV-C62 mission of January 2026?

a) It carried the Gaganyaan crew module

b) It failed due to an anomaly in its third stage

c) It was ISRO's first launch from Kulasekarapattinam

d) It placed NISAR in orbit

Q2. EOS-05 (GISAT-1A), launched by ISRO in September 2026, is notable because it is:

a) India's first navigation satellite

b) India's first radar satellite in polar orbit

c) India's first imaging satellite in geosynchronous orbit

d) India's first satellite launched by a private rocket

Q3. DRDO tested the Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology in February 2026. What is the main advantage of a ramjet engine?

a) It works only in space

b) It needs no forward speed to start

c) It uses nuclear fuel

d) It takes oxygen from the atmosphere, so it does not need to carry an oxidiser

Q4. Kusha, which had its maiden flight test in July 2026, is:

a) A long-range surface-to-air missile system

b) An anti-ship ballistic missile

c) A submarine-launched cruise missile

d) An anti-tank guided missile

Q5. Which of the following pairs about DRDO tests in 2026 is correctly matched?

a) RudraM-II : Anti-tank missile

b) LRLACM : Long-range land attack cruise missile

c) Kusha : Intercontinental ballistic missile

d) SFDR : Submarine sonar system

Q6. INS Dunagiri, commissioned in June 2026 at Kolkata, belongs to which class?

a) Kolkata-class destroyer

b) Kalvari-class submarine

c) Nilgiri-class (Project 17A) frigate

d) Arnala-class corvette

Q7. INS Mangrol, commissioned in October 2026, is an anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft built by:

a) Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders

b) Goa Shipyard Limited

c) Hindustan Shipyard Limited

d) Cochin Shipyard Limited

Q8. INS Sanshodhak, commissioned in June 2026, is:

a) A survey vessel (large) of the Sandhayak class

b) An aircraft carrier

c) A nuclear-powered submarine

d) A fleet support tanker

Q9. Micron's semiconductor assembly and test (ATMP) facility inaugurated in February 2026 is located at:

a) Dholera, Gujarat

b) Sanand, Gujarat

c) Hosur, Tamil Nadu

d) Noida, Uttar Pradesh

Q10. The India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2026, includes which of the following among its pillars?

a) Rare earth mining only

b) Crude oil refining

c) Chip design

d) Telecom spectrum auctions

Q11. The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Francis Halzen for his contributions to:

a) The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole

b) The Event Horizon Telescope

c) The discovery of the Higgs boson

d) Gravitational wave detection at LIGO

Q12. The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for discoveries concerning:

a) CRISPR gene editing

b) mRNA vaccines

c) MicroRNA

d) Light-gated ion channels and optogenetics

Q13. The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded to Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai, relates to:

a) Metal-organic frameworks

b) Non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric synthesis

c) Protein structure prediction

d) Lithium-ion batteries

Q14. In April 2026, Telangana declared cancer a notifiable disease. What does this mainly mean?

a) Cancer treatment becomes free in private hospitals

b) Cancer drugs are banned from import

c) Healthcare facilities must report cancer cases to the government

d) Cancer patients must be isolated

Q15. At the AI Impact Summit in February 2026, Sarvam AI launched open-source indigenous large language models supported under which programme?

a) Digital India Bhashini only

b) National Supercomputing Mission

c) Atal Innovation Mission

d) IndiaAI Mission