On Tuesday, 14th July, Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon lifted off for the International Space Station (ISS), aboard Russia’s Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft along with Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina.
The spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 8:17 pm IST, beginning what is expected to be an eight-month mission aboard the orbiting laboratory.
.@NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off atop the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft at 10:47 a.m. EDT today for a 1:56 p.m. docking to the International Space Station. More… https://t.co/OgfE3jFh0Y pic.twitter.com/D0IWMdUbZP
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) July 14, 2026
According to NASA, this is Menon’s first journey to space, while both Dubrov and Kikina are making their second spaceflights.
Welcome aboard the International Space Station, @astro_anil.
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) July 14, 2026
Your mission is just getting started. Wishing you and your crewmates a successful expedition as you advance research and inspire millions back here on Earth. pic.twitter.com/Vp9ceT1Ea5
Once aboard the ISS, the three astronauts will join an international crew that includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev and Andrey Fedyaev.
Research aimed at future missions to the Moon and Mars
During his stay aboard the ISS, Menon will conduct a series of scientific experiments and technology demonstrations designed to improve future human space missions and develop technologies that could also benefit people on Earth.
According to NASA, he will “conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing human space exploration and benefiting life on Earth.”
One of the key areas of his work will involve studying how long periods in microgravity affect the human body, including changes in blood circulation, vein structure and blood composition.
Menon will also help test systems that produce intravenous fluids from the station’s drinking water supply. Scientists believe such technology could become extremely important during future missions to the Moon or Mars, where resupply from Earth may not be possible.
His research will also include experiments on manufacturing semiconductor crystals in space for use in artificial intelligence, advanced computing and medical devices.
In addition, he will conduct ultrasound investigations using augmented reality and artificial intelligence to reduce astronauts’ dependence on medical support teams on Earth during long-duration missions.
Drawings by Indian schoolchildren are also travelling to space
The Soyuz mission is carrying something special from India as well.
According to Yelena Remizova, head of Russia’s international humanitarian cooperation agency Rossotrudnichestvo, the spacecraft is carrying drawings made by Indian schoolchildren.
“These are the works of the winners of the ‘First Forever’ competition, dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the flight of the first Earth astronaut, Yury Gagarin, and cooperation between Russia and India in the field of space exploration,” she said.
From Kerala roots to NASA astronaut
Although Anil Menon was born in Minneapolis in the United States, his roots trace back to Kerala.
His father, K.P. Shankaran Menon, belongs to Ottapalam in Kerala’s Palakkad district, while his mother, Elizabeth, moved to the United States from Ukraine.
The 49-year-old astronaut is an emergency medicine physician and also serves as a colonel in the US Space Force. Before joining NASA, Menon served with the US Air Force and was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
He also worked with the Himalayan Rescue Association, providing medical assistance to climbers attempting to summit Mount Everest.
Menon’s connection with India goes beyond his family background. He spent a year in India as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and participated in polio vaccination campaigns across the country.
He joined NASA in 2014 as a flight surgeon, supporting astronauts aboard the ISS and helping oversee medical operations related to human spaceflight.
In 2018, he moved to SpaceX, where he established the company’s medical programme and played a key role in preparing for the company’s first human space missions. He also contributed to the development of Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation spacecraft designed for missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
NASA selected Menon as an astronaut in December 2021, and he began formal astronaut training shortly afterwards.
His wife, Anna Menon, has already made space history
Interestingly, Anil Menon’s family already has a place in space history through his wife, Anna Menon.
A SpaceX engineer, astronaut and mission specialist, Anna flew aboard the historic Polaris Dawn mission in 2024 and became one of the few women to participate in a commercial spacewalk. The mission made history by carrying out the world’s first commercial spacewalk and conducting nearly 40 scientific experiments in orbit.
During the mission, Anna also became part of a record-breaking crew that reached the highest altitude ever achieved by a woman in space.
