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India's first privately developed fully cryogenic rocket engine is called:
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Answer: Option B — Dhawan-1
Detailed Solution
Dhawan-1 is India's first privately developed, fully cryogenic rocket engine. It was successfully test-fired in November 2021 by Skyroot Aerospace, a private space start-up based in Hyderabad, Telangana. It was named in honour of Professor Satish Dhawan, a former chairman of ISRO.
About Dhawan-1:
It is a fully cryogenic engine, which means it uses propellants stored at extremely low temperatures. Dhawan-1 uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel and liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidiser. LNG is cheaper and cleaner-burning than many other rocket fuels.
It was made using 3D printing (additive manufacturing), which reduced manufacturing time.
It is meant for the upper stage of Skyroot's "Vikram" series of rockets (named after Dr Vikram Sarabhai).
About cryogenic engines:
- Cryogenic engines are the most efficient type of chemical rocket engine, giving more thrust per kilogram of propellant than solid or earth-storable liquid fuels.
- They are very difficult to build because of the extremely low temperatures involved (liquid hydrogen is stored below minus 253 degrees Celsius, and liquid oxygen below minus 183 degrees Celsius).
ISRO successfully flew its first indigenous cryogenic stage on the GSLV-D5 in January 2014. ISRO's CE-20 cryogenic engine powers the upper stage of the LVM3 (GSLV Mk III) rocket, which launched Chandrayaan-3.
India's private space sector milestones:
- Vikram-S, built by Skyroot Aerospace, became India's first privately built rocket to be launched, on 18 November 2022, in a mission named "Prarambh" from Sriharikota.
- Agnikul Cosmos (Chennai) launched "Agnibaan SOrTeD" in May 2024, powered by the world's first single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine, "Agnilet".
- IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre), set up in 2020, promotes and regulates private space activities.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Vikas is ISRO's liquid-fuel engine used in the PSLV and GSLV.
- ✗CE-20 is ISRO's cryogenic engine used in the LVM3.
- ✗Agnilet is Agnikul's semi-cryogenic engine.
Quick tip
Remember: Dhawan-1 = India's first private fully cryogenic engine (Skyroot Aerospace, LNG + LOX, 3D printed, 2021); Vikram-S = first private rocket launch (2022); Agnilet = Agnikul's semi-cryogenic engine.
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Firsts in India & World — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Firsts in India & World, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the first persons and events in India and the world: the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, the first woman to hold major offices, the first to climb Everest or reach space, and India's first institutions, newspapers, railways and satellites. It also covers the largest, longest, highest and smallest records in India and the world. These are pure memory questions, so revise them as short lists by theme: first women, first in sports, first in science and space, and first in governance. Be careful with the exact wording, such as 'first Indian' versus 'first person of Indian origin', or 'first woman President' versus 'first woman Prime Minister', since options are often designed to exploit this. Practise the firsts in India and the world questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.