UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Science and Technology MCQs on MH 60R helicopter, data exclusivity and more (Week 142)

3. These helicopters will replace the British-origin Sea King helicopters.

4. These are manufactured in collaboration with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Explanation

— The Indian Navy commissioned its second MH 60R helicopter squadron, INAS 335, at INS Hansa in Goa. The squadron has been nicknamed ‘Ospreys’ after the fish-hunting bird of prey. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— These US-origin Seahawks, maritime versions of the Black Hawk (and distinct from the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, an American military transport aircraft), will strengthen India’s anti-submarine and surveillance capabilities and boost blue-water operations. Hence, statement 4 is not correct.

— The first squadron of these submarine hunting helicopters, Indian Naval Air Squadron 334, was inducted at INS Garuda in Kochi in March 2024.

— The aircraft has been fully integrated with the Indian Navy’s fleet operations and can operate from shore bases as well as maritime assets like aircraft carriers and other large ships.

— The helicopter is designed for a wide range of operations including anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), search and rescue (SAR) missions, and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC). It can be used for vertical replenishment (VERTREP), a naval logistics operation in which supplies are transferred by helicopter between ships at sea or from shore to ship without the ships having to dock or come next to each other. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— These helicopters are replacing the ageing British-origin Sea King helicopters, which have been in service for long. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— The induction coincides with an important milestone as the year 2025 marks 75 years since the Government of India approved the formation of a Fleet Air Arm for the Navy.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

With reference to the H3 rocket, consider the following statements:

1. Recently, Japan’s space mission onboard the H3 rocket failed at the second stage after lift-off.

2. Under the Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission, Chandrayaan-5 is planned to launch by the H3 rocket.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— Japan’s space mission onboard the H3 rocket suffered failure at the second stage after lift-off. It is the H3-24L from the same H3 series of heavy life-off rockets which will launch the Chandrayaan-5 planned sometime in 2028-2029. Hence, statements 1 and 2 are correct.

(Image source: global.jaxa.jp)

— Also known as Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX), the Chandrayaan-5 mission is being jointly developed by ISRO and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It will study the volatile materials, lunar water in the vicinity of a Permanently Shadowed Region (PSR) in the lunar south pole. Chandrayaan-5 will carry an ISRO-made lunar lander and the rover is being developed by Japan.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Data exclusivity is a regulatory protection in:

(a) Space technology

(b) Pharmaceuticals

(c) Communication

(d) Navigation

Explanation

— When a company develops a new drug, it must submit clinical trial data demonstrating the safety and efficacy of its product to regulators. The regulator may use this data to approve another company’s generic version on the basis of much less resource-intensive bio-equivalence studies, which demonstrate that the generic version works as well as the innovator product.

— The generic manufacturer can then start marketing its generic drugs on the date the original company’s patent ends.

— Here’s where data exclusivity comes in. This provision grants innovator pharmaceutical companies exclusive rights over the clinical trial data, meaning a regulator cannot use it to grant approvals to subsequent generic versions during this period. So, generic drug companies have to either wait until the exclusivity expires or carry out expensive clinical trials themselves to prove safety and efficacy, just like the innovator company.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Which of the following launching vehicles was used to launch the communication satellite BlueBird Block-2?

(a) Falcon 9

(c) Ariane 5

(c) PSLV-XL

(d) Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3)

Explanation

— The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the LVM-3 rocket carrying its heaviest-ever satellite — BlueBird Block-2, weighing nearly 6,100 kg.

(@isroofficial5866/Yt via PTI Photo)

— The BlueBird Block-2 satellite will be the largest-ever commercial communications satellite to be deployed in low Earth orbit (LEO). As the name suggests, LEO is an orbit that is relatively close to Earth’s surface. It is normally at an altitude of less than 1,000 km.

— The satellite, designed by the US company AST SpaceMobile, will be part of an LEO constellation that will provide direct-to-mobile connectivity.

— This mission marks the third time the LVM-3 will be used to carry a satellite into LEO. The powerful cryogenic engine-based vehicle was initially designed to carry satellites to distant geosynchronous orbits of around 36,000 km from the Earth’s surface. After several satellites were placed in different orbits during the 2022 OneWeb launch, the rocket, then called the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle Mark 3 or GSLV-Mk3, was renamed.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

With reference to the Doppler weather radars of varying frequencies, consider the following statements:

1. X-band radar – used in cyclone tracking

2. C-band radar – used to detect thunderstorms and lightning

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— In radars, a beam of energy, called radio waves, is emitted from an antenna. When this beam strikes an object in the atmosphere, the energy scatters in all directions, with some reflecting directly back to the radar.

— The larger the object deflecting the beam, the greater is the amount of energy that the radar receives in return. Observing the time required for the beam to be transmitted and returned to the radar allows weather forecasting departments to “see” raindrops in the atmosphere, and measure their distance from the radar.

— DWR can provide information on both the position of targets as well as their movement. It does this by tracking the ‘phase’ of transmitted radio wave pulses; phase meaning the shape, position, and form of those pulses. As computers measure the shift in phase between the original pulse and the received echo, the movement of raindrops can be calculated, and it is possible to tell whether the precipitation is moving toward or away from the radar.

— In India, DWR of varying frequencies — S-band, C-band and X-band — are commonly used by the IMD to track the movement of weather systems and cloud bands, and gauge rainfall over its coverage area of about 500 km. The radars guide meteorologists, particularly in times of extreme weather events like cyclones and associated heavy rainfall. An X-band radar is used to detect thunderstorms and lightning, whereas a C-band radar helps in cyclone tracking. Hence, statements 1 and 2 are not correct.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 136-137)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 141)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 141)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 141)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 141)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 141)

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