Indian-origin astronaut Anil Menon has embarked on his first mission to space, lifting off aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft for the International Space Station. The launch took place from the historic Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, with Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina joining him on the journey. For Dubrov and Kikina, the flight marks their second space mission.
The Soyuz spacecraft blasted off at 8:17 PM on Tuesday and is scheduled to reach the orbiting laboratory a little more than three hours after launch. Once aboard the International Space Station, the three-member crew is expected to remain in orbit for about eight months, carrying out a range of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations before returning to Earth in 2027.
During the expedition, Menon will contribute to research focused on how the human body responds to prolonged exposure to space. The studies will examine blood circulation, vein structure and blood composition under microgravity conditions. He will also assist in evaluating a system that produces intravenous fluids from the station's potable water, a capability considered important for future long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars.
NASA says he will also take part in advanced medical and technology demonstrations, including ultrasound procedures that use augmented reality and artificial intelligence to support astronauts during future deep space missions.
Born in Minneapolis to an Indian father and a Ukrainian mother, Menon earned degrees in neurobiology, mechanical engineering and medicine before building a career that combined healthcare with space exploration.
An emergency medicine physician and a US Space Force colonel, Menon previously served with the US Air Force, where he was deployed on the frontlines in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. He also worked with the Himalayan Rescue Association, providing medical care to climbers on Mount Everest.
Menon, 49, spent a year in India as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, where he studied and supported polio vaccination initiatives.
His association with NASA began in 2014 when he joined the agency as a flight surgeon, supporting astronauts living and working aboard the International Space Station.
In 2018, Menon moved to SpaceX, where he established the company's medical programme, played a key role in preparations for its first human spaceflights and worked closely on the development of Starship, the super heavy rocket and spacecraft designed for missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
NASA selected Menon as an astronaut in December 2021, after which he entered the agency's two-year astronaut training programme the following month.
Space exploration is also a part of his family's journey. Menon's wife, Anna Wilhelm, is an astronaut who flew to space in September 2024 on a private crewed SpaceX mission that lasted nearly five days.
