Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon set for 8-month ISS mission: What to expect from his landmark journey

Anil Menon, a NASA astronaut of Indian origin, is scheduled to begin an eight-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 14, launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

During his stay aboard the ISS, he will carry out several scientific investigations focused on understanding the effects of prolonged space travel on the human body, including how microgravity influences blood circulation, vein structure, and blood composition, according to PTI.

Menon will also participate in testing new technologies that can generate intravenous (IV) fluids using the station's drinking water system. This innovation could prove essential for future deep-space missions, where access to medical supplies will be limited.

Moreover, he will advance research on manufacturing semiconductor crystals in space, with the goal of enabling large-scale production of high-quality components for high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and advanced medical technologies.

Menon will also conduct ultrasound studies using augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to develop medical capabilities that could reduce or even eliminate the need for assistance from Earth during future deep-space missions.

He will fly to the ISS aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft, accompanied by Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina.

Who is astronaut Anil Menon?

Anil Menon, 49, was born in Minneapolis to parents who immigrated from India and Ukraine. An emergency medicine physician by training, he also serves as a colonel in the US Space Force.

Earlier in his career with the US Air Force, Menon was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He later worked with the Himalayan Rescue Association, providing emergency medical care to climbers on Mount Everest.

He has also maintained strong ties with India, spending a year in the country as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, where he supported and studied polio immunisation programmes.

He joined NASA in 2014 as a flight surgeon, where he was responsible for supporting the health and wellbeing of astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Four years later, Menon became part of SpaceX, where he built the company's medical programme, helped prepare for its first crewed missions, and contributed to the development of Starship, the next-generation launch system designed for missions to the Moon, Mars, and deep space.

In December 2021, NASA selected Menon as an astronaut candidate, and he began the agency's intensive two-year astronaut training programme the following month.

Menon's wife, Anna Menon (formerly Anna Wilhelm), is also an astronaut. She travelled to space in September 2024 on SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission, a privately funded orbital flight that lasted nearly five days.\

Take off timings, where to watch live coverage of launch

Meanwhile, the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:47 am EDT, according to The Print. Viewers can watch live coverage of the launch and docking on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and NASA's YouTube channel.

After launch, the spacecraft will complete two orbits around Earth before docking with the Prichal module of the International Space Station at 1:56 pm EDT. Once docked, the Soyuz spacecraft will become attached to the orbiting laboratory.