Who is Anil Menon, the Indian-origin NASA astronaut of Malayali descent set to travel to space?
NASA astronaut Dr. Anil Menon is set to launch on an eight-month mission to the International Space Station. A former flight surgeon and SpaceX employee, Menon brings extensive medical and aerospace experience to the mission.
Why it matters
Menon's mission represents a significant achievement for the Indian diaspora in the field of aerospace and space exploration.
Anil Menon, a NASA astronaut of Indian heritage, is scheduled to begin an eight-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS), launching from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan alongside two Russian cosmonauts. The Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft is scheduled for lift-off from the Baikonur spaceport at 8:17 p.m. (IST) on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) and is expected to dock at the orbital laboratory after a little over three hours.
Biographical reporting on a public figure and space mission.
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