NASA astronaut Dr. Anil Menon, an Indian-origin space traveller of Malayali descent, is set to embark on his first mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He is scheduled to launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, alongside Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina.
Born in Minneapolis to an Indian father from Ottapalam, Kerala, and a Ukrainian mother, the 49-year-old physician and U.S. Space Force Colonel has had a distinguished career in emergency and aerospace medicine. Before becoming a NASA astronaut in 2021, he served as a NASA flight surgeon and later led SpaceX's medical programme, contributing to the company's first human spaceflight missions.
Dr. Menon's mission marks a significant milestone as he becomes the first NASA astronaut of Malayali heritage to travel to space. His family traces its roots to Kerala, and his great-grandfather was Sir Chetur Shankaran Nair, the renowned lawyer, statesman, and freedom fighter.
During the eight-month Expedition 74 mission aboard the ISS, Dr. Menon will conduct scientific research on the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body, test advanced medical technologies using artificial intelligence, and support experiments aimed at improving semiconductor manufacturing in microgravity-research expected to benefit future deep-space exploration and advanced technologies on Earth.
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