61. Where was India’s first all-composite airframe two-seater trainer aircraft, Hansa-3(NG), launched?
[A] Bengaluru
[B] New Delhi
[C] Hyderabad
[D] Mumbai
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Bengaluru]
Notes:
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, launched Hansa-3(NG), first indigenous all-composite two-seater trainer aircraft for Private Pilot License (PPL) and Commercial Pilot License (CPL) training at CSIR–National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru. Hansa-3(NG) reduces foreign dependence and boosts aviation entrepreneurship. The aircraft will help flying clubs meet India’s growing demand for trained pilots.
62. Which telescope was used to discover the spiral galaxy “Alaknanda” ?
[A] Hubble Space Telescope
[B] Spitzer Space Telescope
[C] Chandra X-ray Observatory
[D] James Webb Space Telescope
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [James Webb Space Telescope]
Notes:
Researchers at National Centre for Radio Astrophysics – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (NCRA–TIFR), Pune, discovered a new spiral galaxy named Alaknanda. It lies 12 billion light years away and shows a perfect spiral structure. The name comes from the Alaknanda River and the Hindi word for the Milky Way. The galaxy spans 30,000 light years, with two clear spiral arms around a bright central bulge. It forms stars rapidly, producing 60 solar masses per year. It resembles a young Milky Way, formed when our galaxy was only 10% of its current age. The discovery was made using National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
63. Which organization has launched the AviSpray-10c agricultural spraying drone?
[A] Defence Research and Development Organisation
[B] AvironiX Drones
[C] Indian Space Research Organisation
[D] IIT Madras
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [AvironiX Drones]
Notes:
AvironiX Drones, a deep-tech company based in Chennai, has launched a new agricultural spraying drone called AviSpray-10c. The AviSpray-10c is a compact and smaller next-generation spraying drone, designed specifically for Indian farming needs. The drone was developed to reduce the cost, operational difficulty, and manpower requirements usually associated with drone-based crop spraying. Unlike many drones built only in laboratory settings, the AviSpray-10c has been tested and validated through extensive real-world field deployments.
64. Kavach system has been developed by which organization?
[A] Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
[B] Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO)
[C] Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
[D] Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO)]
Notes:
Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system designed to improve railway operational safety across the Indian Railways network. It was developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of Indian Railways. As of December 2025, the system has been commissioned on over 2,000 km of railway routes, with 7,129 km of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) laid, 860 telecom towers installed, 767 stations connected, 3,413 km of trackside equipment deployed, and 4,154 locomotives fitted with Kavach. About 40,000 technicians and operators have been trained, reflecting the scale of operational readiness.
65. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission was launched by which space agency?
[A] European Space Agency
[B] Indian Space Research Organisation
[C] National Aeronautics and Space Administration
[D] China National Space Administration
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [National Aeronautics and Space Administration]
Notes:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has lost contact with the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft. MAVEN is a Mars orbiter that studied how the planet’s atmosphere escapes into space for over ten years. It is the first mission dedicated to studying the upper atmosphere of Mars. It is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program to understand Mars and its past habitability. The mission studied how atmospheric loss changed Mars’s climate over time.
66. Which institution has developed the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based lab assistant AILA?
[A] IIT Kanpur
[B] IIT Delhi
[C] IIT Ahmedabad
[D] IIT Bombay
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [IIT Delhi]
Notes:
IIT Delhi researchers developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based system called AILA (Artificially Intelligent Lab Assistant). AILA works on an AI Agentic Framework and can perform real scientific experiments like a human scientist. It has a simple chat interface where instructions in English are converted into code to execute experiments. The system has been demonstrated on an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), a key instrument in material research. AILA can control the AFM, make real-time decisions during experiments, and analyse results independently. The technology can save time, reduce manpower requirements, and transform India’s scientific research ecosystem.
67. Which organization developed the India’s first home-made instrument named “Dust EXperiment (DEX)” to detect interplanetary dust particles?
[A] Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)
[B] Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad
[C] Indian Space Science Organization (ISSO)
[D] Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad]
Notes:
ISRO’s maiden home-made dust detector, Dust EXperiment (DEX), detects interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) striking Earth roughly every 1,000 seconds. DEX is the first Indian-made instrument designed to study high-speed interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) . Interplanetary Dust Particles are microscopic fragments originating from comets and asteroids. The instrument was flown on the POEM (PSLV Orbital Experimental Module) of PSLV-C58. Dust EXperiment (DEX) was developed by the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad.
68. Vera C. Rubin Observatory, that was recently seen in news, is located in which country?
[A] Russia
[B] Germany
[C] China
[D] Chile
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Chile]
Notes:
Scientists used first images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory to discover the fastest-spinning asteroid of its size, named 2025 MN45. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is located on Cerro Pachón in the Chilean Andes at 8,684 feet altitude. It is named after astronomer Vera C. Rubin, who provided early evidence for dark matter. It is jointly funded by the United States National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Department of Energy (DoE). Its goals include studying dark matter and dark energy, mapping the Milky Way, tracking asteroids and comets, and observing changing cosmic objects.
69. Voyager 1 is a space probe launched by which space organization?
[A] European Space Agency (ESA)
[B] Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
[C] National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
[D] China National Space Administration (CNSA)
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)]
Notes:
Voyager 1 is a space probe launched by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1977 to explore the outer planets. Recent news highlights that Voyager 1 is expected to become the first human-made object to reach a distance of one light-day from Earth. One light-day means the distance light travels in 24 hours, showing how far the spacecraft has gone. Voyager 1 is already the most distant human-made object and is travelling through interstellar space. It crossed the heliosphere and entered interstellar space in August 2012. Its mission earlier included flybys of Jupiter and Saturn, studying their moons, rings, and magnetic fields.
70. HbA1c test, that was recently seen in news, is commonly used in India for diagnosing which disease?
[A] Type-2 diabetes
[B] Dengue
[C] Tuberculosis
[D] Cholera
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Type-2 diabetes]
Notes:
A new study shows that glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), widely used in India to detect type-2 diabetes, may not always show the true blood glucose level. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a blood test that tells the average blood sugar level of the last two to three months. The test measures the percentage of red blood cells (RBCs) whose hemoglobin is coated with glucose. This works because glucose sticks to hemoglobin for the full life of RBCs, which is about three months. A high HbA1c value means long-term high blood sugar, indicating diabetes. Diabetes can lead to heart, kidney, and nerve diseases.