WASHINGTON, July 15: NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two Russian cosmonauts safely arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) early Wednesday after a successful journey aboard the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The spacecraft, carrying Menon along with Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, lifted off at 8:17 pm IST on Tuesday and docked with the ISS’s Prichal module about three hours later at 11:52 pm IST. Following standard safety checks, the crew entered the orbital laboratory around 2:00 am IST, where they were welcomed by the station’s existing crew.
The mission marks Anil Menon’s first journey into space and the second spaceflight for both Dubrov and Kikina. The three astronauts are expected to spend around eight months aboard the ISS, with their return to Earth scheduled for April 2027.
Menon’s family, including his wife, astronaut Anna Wilhelm, and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, were present at Baikonur to witness the launch.
During the mission, Menon will carry out scientific research and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing human space exploration and improving life on Earth. His work will include studies on the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body, including blood circulation, vein structure and blood composition in microgravity.
He will also help test technologies for producing intravenous fluids using the ISS’s potable water system, a capability considered vital for future deep-space missions where medical supplies may be limited.
In addition, Menon will conduct research on manufacturing semiconductor crystals in microgravity to support the development of advanced computing, artificial intelligence and medical technologies. He will also participate in ultrasound investigations using augmented reality and artificial intelligence to reduce dependence on medical support from Earth during future missions.
Born in Minneapolis to an Indian father and a Ukrainian mother, 49-year-old Menon is an emergency medicine physician and a colonel in the U.S. Space Force. His father, K.P. Shankaran Menon, hails from Ottapalam in Kerala’s Palakkad district.
Before joining NASA, Menon served in the U.S. Air Force, including a deployment in Afghanistan, and also worked with the Himalayan Rescue Association on Mount Everest. He joined NASA as a flight surgeon in 2014, moved to SpaceX in 2018 to help develop its human spaceflight programme, and was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021.
Adding an Indian touch to the mission, the Soyuz spacecraft also carried drawings created by Indian schoolchildren as part of the “First Forever” competition, celebrating Indo-Russian cooperation in space exploration and the 65th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic spaceflight.
