Hyderabad: Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon will embark on his first mission to the International Space Station, aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft, serving as a flight engineer and Expedition 75 crew member. Scheduled to lift off in June 2026, Menon will be accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina.
The mission will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, taking the trio to the orbiting laboratory in space, where they will spend approximately eight months. During this expedition, Menon will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future space missions and benefit humanity, NASA said in a blog post.
Anil Menon: NASA Astronaut, Physician, Engineer, and Space Force Colonel
Anil Menon was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2021 and graduated with NASA’s 23rd astronaut class in 2024. Upon completing his initial astronaut candidate training, he began preparing for his first mission aboard the International Space Station.
It was worth the wait !!! pic.twitter.com/Btld3jGFsW
— Anil Menon (@astro_anil) September 15, 2024
Menon brings a rare combination of expertise to the astronaut corps. He is an emergency medicine physician, a mechanical engineer, and a colonel in the United States Space Force. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Ukrainian and Indian immigrant parents, Menon’s academic credentials are equally remarkable, which include:
- Bachelor’s degree in Neurobiology from Harvard University
- Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering
- Medical degree from Stanford University
He completed residencies in both Emergency Medicine and Aerospace Medicine at Stanford and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
NASA Astro Class 23
— Anil Menon (@astro_anil) October 28, 2022
The fly shape represents our class, “the flies”. Twelve stars represent the candidates of class 23 and the UAE and US flags are both displayed. And of course the astronaut pose represents our faith in NASA’s return to the moon while keeping an eye on Mars! pic.twitter.com/gxN75CL5Ag
While continuing his role at NASA, Menon continues to practice medicine at Memorial Hermann’s Texas Medical Centre and teaches residents at the University of Texas' Emergency Medicine residency program.
Before joining NASA, Menon made history as SpaceX’s first flight surgeon, playing a key role in launching the first crewed Dragon spacecraft on the NASA-SpaceX Demo-2 mission and establishing the medical team and infrastructure for future human spaceflight missions. He also served as a crew flight surgeon supporting both SpaceX launches and NASA expeditions to the space station.
