Anil Menon of Indian origin will fly for the first time on ISS mission, his journey from doctor to astronaut; Wife is also an astronaut

New Delhi. Indian-origin American astronaut Anil Menon is now ready for the biggest flight of his career. Menon, a doctor, engineer and astronaut of the American space agency NASA, will leave for the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, July 14 in Russia’s Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft. This will be the first space mission of his life, in which he will conduct scientific research on the International Space Station located about 400 kilometers above the Earth for about eight months.

According to NASA, Soyuz MS-29 will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:47 am local time (7:47 pm Baikonur time). Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina are also included in this mission along with Anil Menon.

ISS will reach in three hours, mission will last for eight months

According to NASA information, this spacecraft will connect to the International Space Station about three hours after launch. After this, the three astronauts will stay on ISS for about eight months and work on various scientific and technological projects under ‘Expedition-74’. Their return to Earth is scheduled for April 2027 after the mission is completed.

Anil Menon is also a doctor, engineer and military officer

Anil Menon was selected by NASA as an astronaut in the year 2021. He is a doctor specializing in Emergency Medicine and Aerospace Medicine by profession. Apart from this, he is also a mechanical engineer and is working as a colonel in the US Space Force.

Before joining NASA, he was responsible for the health of astronauts as a flight surgeon. Along with this, he also played an important role in the development of SpaceX’s human spaceflight program. He has higher education degrees in subjects like Neurobiology, Mechanical Engineering and Medicine.

Family roots are connected to Kerala

Anil Menon was born in Minneapolis city of America. His father is of Indian origin, with family roots in Palakkad district of Kerala, while his mother is of Ukrainian origin.

In his early career, he also served in the US Air Force and was deployed in Afghanistan during ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’. Apart from this, he has also provided medical assistance to climbers in the Mount Everest area in collaboration with the Himalayan Rescue Association.

Wife Anna Menon is also a big name in space missions

Anil Menon’s family is also deeply associated with space science. His wife Anna Menon is also a famous astronaut. He traveled to space under the ‘Polaris Dawn’ mission in September 2024. This mission is known for the world’s first private spacewalk. Currently Anna is training at NASA. The couple has two children and are sometimes referred to as the “Astronaut Family.”

Will do important research for future space missions on ISS

Anil Menon will take part in many important scientific experiments during his stay on the ISS. These include developing technology to prepare semiconductor crystals in space, which could be useful in the future in building high-performance computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) devices.

Apart from this they will study the effects of microgravity on the human body. The research will also examine changes in blood flow, bioprinting of vascular tissue, and medical technologies needed for long-duration Moon and Mars missions.