Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon set for first ISS mission | India Information
3 min learnUp to date: Jul 12, 2026 11:21 AM IST
Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon is about to embark on his first mission to the Worldwide House Station (ISS) on July 14, starting an eight-month expedition targeted on medical, technological, and spaceflight analysis.
Menon will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan together with Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. The three are scheduled to function members of Expedition 74/75 aboard the ISS earlier than returning to Earth in April 2027.
Who’s Anil Menon?
Born in Minneapolis to Indian and Ukrainian immigrant dad and mom, Menon is an emergency drugs doctor and a colonel within the US House Power.
He joined NASA as a flight surgeon in 2014, supporting astronauts dwelling and dealing aboard the ISS. In 2018, he moved to SpaceX, the place he established the corporate’s medical programme, helped put together its first human spaceflight missions, and contributed to the event of Starship, the spacecraft designed for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Earlier than becoming a member of NASA’s astronaut corps, Menon additionally served with the US Air Power in Afghanistan throughout Operation Enduring Freedom and labored with the Himalayan Rescue Affiliation, offering medical care to climbers on Mount Everest.
NASA chosen Menon as an astronaut in December 2021, after which he accomplished the company’s two-year astronaut coaching programme.
Menon additionally spent a yr in India as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, supporting polio vaccination initiatives.
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What is going to Anil Menon do at ISS?
Throughout his keep aboard the ISS, Menon will conduct experiments inspecting the physiological results of long-duration spaceflight, together with how microgravity alters blood stream, vein construction, and blood composition.
He can even assist take a look at applied sciences to provide intravenous fluids utilizing the station’s potable water system — a functionality thought of essential for future deep-space missions the place medical provides can be restricted.
His analysis will embody refining the in-space manufacturing of semiconductor crystals, which may help large-scale manufacturing of parts utilized in high-performance computing, synthetic intelligence, and superior medical units.
Menon can even carry out ultrasound investigations utilizing augmented actuality and synthetic intelligence, work that would cut back astronauts’ dependence on medical help from Earth throughout future missions.
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Kerala CM congratulates Menon
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan congratulated Menon forward of the mission, describing it as a “really historic milestone” for the state.
In a put up on X, Satheesan mentioned Menon’s analysis on semiconductor crystals and medicines mirrored human excellence.
“The complete Malayali group stands collectively in extending our collective prayers and greatest needs for a protected and profitable mission,” he mentioned.
With PTI Inputs
