NASA astronaut Anil Menon set to travel to International Space Station on July 14

• NASA astronaut Anil Menon is set to embark on an eight-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 14 from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

• Menon will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft to the ISS on July 14, accompanied by cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, where they will join the Expedition 74 crew advancing scientific research.

• After a two-orbit, three-hour trip to the station, the spacecraft will automatically dock to the Prichal module. Shortly afterward, hatches will open between the Soyuz and the orbiting laboratory.

• Once aboard, the trio will join NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev, and Andrey Fedyaev.

• Menon, Dubrov, and Kikina will spend about eight months aboard the orbital complex as International Space Station Expedition 74/75 crew members before returning to Earth in April 2027. 

• This will be Menon’s first spaceflight and the second for both Dubrov and Kikina.

Who is Anil Menon?

• Anil Menon was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Ukrainian and Indian immigrants.

• He is an emergency medicine physician and a US Space Force Colonel.

• During his stint with the US Air Force, he served on the frontlines in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom and also worked for the Himalayan Rescue Association, caring for climbers on Mount Everest.

• He supported the US Air Force as a flight surgeon and logged over 100 sorties in the F-15 and transported over 100 patients as part of the critical care air transport team. 

• Menon, 49, has also spent a year in India as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to study and support Polio vaccination initiatives.

• He began his career at NASA as a flight surgeon in 2014.

• He supported four long-duration crew members on the International Space Station as the deputy crew surgeon for Soyuz missions Soyuz 39 and Soyuz 43 and prime crew surgeon for Soyuz 52. 

• As a member of the Human Health and Performance Directorate, he also served as the medical lead for the health maintenance system and direct return aircraft development. 

• In 2018, Menon joined SpaceX where he started its medical program and helped prepare for the company’s first human flights. He served as the lead flight surgeon for five launches and helped start their research program, private astronaut programs, and worked on development of the Starship

• Menon was selected as a NASA astronaut in December 2021 and joined the two-year training next month.

• His wife Anna Menon is also an astronaut and travelled to space in September 2024 as part of Polaris Dawn, a private crewed spaceflight operated by SpaceX. The spaceflight lasted for nearly five days.

Menon to conduct tests at ISS

• During his stay on the ISS, Menon will conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing human space exploration and benefiting life on Earth. 

• He will continue research to refine in-space production of semiconductor crystals to enable the large-scale manufacturing of components needed for high-performance computers, artificial intelligence, and improved medical devices. 

• Menon will perform ultrasound using augmented reality and AI methods that could eliminate the need for medical support from Earth on future space missions. 

• He will be a test subject helping researchers understand how blood flow is affected in space to protect future astronauts. 

• He will test bioprinting vascular constructs in microgravity to improve understanding of the ageing process to advance therapeutic developments.