Science and Technology › Space
Moon, Sun and planetary missions Missions to the Moon, the Sun, the planets and the asteroids, India's and other countries': what each is sent to find, and what it finds. Prelims has asked about Mangalyaan, the Mars Orbiter Mission.
UPSC has asked
Prelims 2016: Mangalyaan, the Mars Orbiter MissionNo subject here changed from 1 to 15 September 2026. Show all
permanently shadowed region A crater floor near a lunar pole that never receives sunlight, so it stays cold enough to trap water ice for billions of years. launch window The span of time within which a launch must happen if the spacecraft is to reach its intended orbit or target efficiently. Lagrange point One of five positions where the gravity of two large bodies and the motion of a small one balance, so a spacecraft keeps station with them; L1 lies between the Earth and the Sun. Halo orbit A looping orbit around a Lagrange point, held there by the balanced pull of two large bodies rather than by orbiting either one. Solar flare A sudden, intense burst of radiation from the Sun, released when magnetic energy stored above its surface is freed all at once. Active region A patch of the Sun with strong, tangled magnetic fields, where sunspots and flares occur. Previous theme in this edition Human spaceflight and space stations Next theme in this edition Astronomy and cosmology Practise previous year questions from this area Last updated 19 Sep 2026.
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