This page gathers the science, technology and defence facts that come up again and again: India's space programme (ISRO, its missions and rockets), the country's missiles and armed forces and their gallantry awards, famous inventors and discoveries, and the headquarters of important institutions. Almost every question here is a fixed fact — a name, a year, a full form or a city — so these are easy marks once memorised.
1969
ISRO founded
HQ: Bengaluru
1958
DRDO founded
Defence Research and Development Organisation; HQ: New Delhi
1975
Aryabhata
India's first satellite
India's space programme (ISRO)
The missions, the rockets and the one launch site.
ISRO: rockets and missions
A PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) lifting off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota — ISRO's reliable 'workhorse' rocket. This PSLV-C11 carried Chandrayaan-1 in 2008.
The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), launched in 2013 on PSLV-C25 — India's first Mars mission, and the first nation to reach Mars orbit on its first attempt.
| Mission | Year | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Aryabhata | 1975 | India's first satellite |
| Chandrayaan-1 | 2008 | First Moon mission; found water |
| Mangalyaan (MOM) | 2013 | First Mars mission; success in first try |
| Chandrayaan-2 | 2019 | Moon orbiter; its lander Vikram crash-landed |
| Chandrayaan-3 | 2023 | Soft-landed near Moon's south pole |
| Aditya-L1 | 2023 | India's first solar mission |
| SpaDeX | 2025 | Docked two satellites in space — India the 4th country to do it |
| Axiom-4 | 2025 | Shubhanshu Shukla — first Indian to go to the International Space Station |
| System / orbit | What it is | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| NavIC (earlier IRNSS) | India's own satellite navigation system — like GPS, for India and nearby areas | Finding location, maps, ships |
| Geostationary orbit | About 35,786 km above the equator; the satellite seems to stay over one spot | Weather and communication satellites (INSAT, GSAT) |
| Sun-synchronous orbit | A low orbit over the poles; passes each place at the same time of day | Earth-watching (remote-sensing) satellites |
QUICK FACT
As of October 2026: ISRO's chairman is V. Narayanan (since January 2025). Gaganyaan is India's own human spaceflight programme — uncrewed test flights come first, then Indian astronauts.
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — What is the full form of DRDO?
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Answer: B — Defence Research and Development Organisation
DRDO = Defence Research and Development Organisation, set up in 1958 under the Ministry of Defence, headquartered in New Delhi.
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — ISRO built India's first satellite, known as:
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Answer: A — Aryabhata
Aryabhata, built by ISRO and launched in 1975, was India's first satellite.
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — The Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter) mission was launched by the rocket:
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Answer: C — PSLV-C25
The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) was launched on 5 November 2013 aboard PSLV-C25 from Sriharikota.
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — Which is India's own independent satellite-based positioning system?
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Answer: B — NavIC
NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), earlier called IRNSS, is India's own regional satellite navigation system.
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — Which orbit is most suitable for placing weather-monitoring satellites?
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Answer: A — Geostationary
A geostationary satellite (~35,786 km above the equator) stays fixed over one point, so it can watch the same large region continuously.
Defence: forces, missiles and gallantry awards
The three services, India's missiles, and who gets which medal.
Indian defence
The HAL Tejas — India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), one of the world's lightest supersonic fighters, built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
The Param Vir Chakra — India's highest wartime military gallantry award, instituted on 26 January 1950.
| Topic | Remember |
|---|---|
| Missiles | Agni (long-range ballistic), Prithvi (surface-to-surface), BrahMos (supersonic cruise, India–Russia), Akash (surface-to-air) |
| Wartime gallantry awards | Param Vir Chakra > Maha Vir Chakra > Vir Chakra |
| Peacetime gallantry awards | Ashoka Chakra > Kirti Chakra > Shaurya Chakra |
| Service HQs | Army, Navy and Air Force headquarters are all in New Delhi |
| First Field Marshal | Sam Manekshaw (1 January 1973); K. M. Cariappa became the second (1986) |
| Armed Forces Veterans Day | 14 January — Gen. K. M. Cariappa, the first Indian Army Chief, retired on this day in 1953 |
| Exercises with France | Garuda (air force), Varuna (navy), Shakti (army) |
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — Which is the highest gallantry award in India?
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Answer: A — Param Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra, instituted on 26 January 1950, is India's highest military gallantry award.
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — Who was the first Field Marshal of India?
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Answer: D — S. H. F. J. Manekshaw
Sam Manekshaw, Army Chief during the 1971 war, became India's first Field Marshal on 1 January 1973.
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — Whose retirement day is celebrated as 'Armed Forces Veterans Day' each year?
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Answer: D — Gen. K. M. Cariappa
General K. M. Cariappa (India's first Army Chief) retired on 14 January 1953; that date is Armed Forces Veterans Day.
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — The joint air-force exercise between India and France is called:
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Answer: D — Garuda
Garuda is the bilateral air exercise between the Indian Air Force and the French Air and Space Force. (Varuna is the India–France naval exercise.)
Famous inventions and discoveries
Who invented or discovered what — a favourite GK area.
| Invention / discovery | Person |
|---|---|
| Telephone | Alexander Graham Bell |
| Electric bulb | Thomas Edison |
| Radio | Guglielmo Marconi |
| Dynamite | Alfred Nobel |
| Penicillin | Alexander Fleming |
| Theory of evolution | Charles Darwin |
| Law of gravitation | Isaac Newton |
| The word 'antibiotic'; streptomycin (first TB drug) | Selman Waksman — called the 'Father of Antibiotics' |
| Revolver (1836) | Samuel Colt |
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — Who developed the theory of evolution?
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Answer: A — Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution by natural selection in 'On the Origin of Species' (1859).
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — Who is considered the 'Father of Antibiotics'?
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Answer: D — Selman Waksman
Selman Waksman coined the word 'antibiotic' and discovered streptomycin, the first effective drug against TB. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin (1928), the first antibiotic drug — but the title 'Father of Antibiotics' in exam keys goes to Waksman, who named this group of medicines and found many of them.
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — What was invented by Samuel Colt?
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Answer: A — Revolver
American inventor Samuel Colt patented the revolver in 1836 — a firearm with a rotating cylinder.
Institutions, headquarters and ISO
Which body sits where — Indian and international.
| Institution | Headquarters |
|---|---|
| ISRO (space) | Bengaluru |
| DRDO (defence R&D) | New Delhi |
| BARC (atomic research) | Mumbai |
| IIA (Indian Institute of Astrophysics) | Bengaluru |
| WHO | Geneva |
| UNESCO | Paris |
| IMF / World Bank | Washington, D.C. |
| ISO (sets world standards) | Geneva |
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — The headquarters of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics is located in:
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Answer: D — Bengaluru
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
KEY TERM
ISO standards
ISO 9001 = quality management; ISO 14001 = environmental management; ISO 27001 = information security; ISO 22000 = food safety.
QUICK CHECK
TCS Question Bank — Which ISO certification relates to Environmental Management Systems?
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Answer: C — 14001
ISO 14001 sets the requirements for an Environmental Management System (EMS). (ISO 9001 = quality; ISO 27001 = information security.)
COMMON TRAPS
- ISRO HQ = Bengaluru (1969); DRDO HQ = New Delhi (1958). Don't swap them.
- Aryabhata (1975) = first satellite; Chandrayaan-1 (2008) = first Moon mission; Mangalyaan (2013) = first Mars mission.
- Highest wartime award = Param Vir Chakra; highest peacetime = Ashoka Chakra.
- First Field Marshal = Manekshaw; first Army Chief = Cariappa (Veterans Day, 14 Jan).
- India–France: Garuda (air), Varuna (navy). BrahMos = India–Russia cruise missile.
FLASHCARDS
Quick revision
- India's first satellite
- Aryabhata (1975)
- ISRO / DRDO headquarters
- Bengaluru / New Delhi
- Highest gallantry award
- Param Vir Chakra
- First Field Marshal
- Sam Manekshaw (1973)
- BrahMos is made with
- Russia (cruise missile)
- Penicillin discovered by
- Alexander Fleming
CHECK YOURSELF
Which pairing is correct? (a) BrahMos – surface-to-air (b) Agni – long-range ballistic missile (c) Param Vir Chakra – highest peacetime award (d) ISRO – headquartered in New Delhi
Show answer
(b) Agni is a long-range ballistic missile. BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile; Param Vir Chakra is the highest wartime award; ISRO's HQ is in Bengaluru.