Indian-origin Nasa astronaut Anil Menon flying to space tonight. What to expect?
A physician, engineer and former SpaceX flight surgeon is about to embark on his first journey beyond Earth. Here's everything you need to know.
Indian-origin Nasa astronaut Anil Menon is set to embark on his first journey to space tonight as he launches aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a major milestone in his career as a physician, engineer and astronaut.
The Soyuz rocket is scheduled to lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 8:17 pm IST on Tuesday, July 14.
Menon will fly alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina on an eight-month mission to the orbiting laboratory.
The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS at around 11:26 pm IST, following a fast-track journey lasting just over three hours.
WHY IS ANIL MENON GOING TO SPACE?
Once aboard the ISS, the three-member crew will join the Expedition 74 mission, where they will spend about eight months conducting scientific research and testing technologies needed for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Menon will work on experiments ranging from growing high-quality semiconductor crystals in microgravity to improve future electronics, to testing artificial intelligence-assisted ultrasound techniques that could allow astronauts to perform medical scans without real-time support from doctors on Earth.
He will also participate in studies examining how blood circulation changes in space and help test bioprinting technologies that could advance medical research on ageing and tissue repair.
The International Space Station has remained continuously inhabited for more than 25 years, serving as a unique laboratory where astronauts conduct experiments that are impossible under Earth's gravity.
WHO IS INDIAN NASA ASTRONAUT ANIL MENON?
Born to an Indian father and a Ukrainian mother, Menon was selected by NASA as part of its 2021 astronaut class after building an accomplished career in medicine, engineering and aerospace.
Before joining Nasa, he worked as SpaceX's first flight surgeon, helping develop medical support systems for the company's human spaceflight missions. He is also an emergency medicine physician and a colonel in the US Space Force with expertise in aerospace medicine.
This will be Menon's first trip to space, but not his first contribution to human spaceflight. His work behind the scenes has helped support several astronaut missions over the years, making tonight's launch the culmination of years of training and preparation.
Nasa will broadcast the launch live on NASA+ and as well as the agency's YouTube channel, with coverage beginning ahead of liftoff.
If all goes as planned, Menon and his crew-mates will return to Earth in April 2027 after completing their long-duration mission aboard the ISS.
Indian-origin Nasa astronaut Anil Menon is set to embark on his first journey to space tonight as he launches aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a major milestone in his career as a physician, engineer and astronaut.
The Soyuz rocket is scheduled to lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 8:17 pm IST on Tuesday, July 14.
Menon will fly alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina on an eight-month mission to the orbiting laboratory.
The spacecraft is expected to dock with the ISS at around 11:26 pm IST, following a fast-track journey lasting just over three hours.
WHY IS ANIL MENON GOING TO SPACE?
Once aboard the ISS, the three-member crew will join the Expedition 74 mission, where they will spend about eight months conducting scientific research and testing technologies needed for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Menon will work on experiments ranging from growing high-quality semiconductor crystals in microgravity to improve future electronics, to testing artificial intelligence-assisted ultrasound techniques that could allow astronauts to perform medical scans without real-time support from doctors on Earth.
He will also participate in studies examining how blood circulation changes in space and help test bioprinting technologies that could advance medical research on ageing and tissue repair.
The International Space Station has remained continuously inhabited for more than 25 years, serving as a unique laboratory where astronauts conduct experiments that are impossible under Earth's gravity.
WHO IS INDIAN NASA ASTRONAUT ANIL MENON?
Born to an Indian father and a Ukrainian mother, Menon was selected by NASA as part of its 2021 astronaut class after building an accomplished career in medicine, engineering and aerospace.
Before joining Nasa, he worked as SpaceX's first flight surgeon, helping develop medical support systems for the company's human spaceflight missions. He is also an emergency medicine physician and a colonel in the US Space Force with expertise in aerospace medicine.
This will be Menon's first trip to space, but not his first contribution to human spaceflight. His work behind the scenes has helped support several astronaut missions over the years, making tonight's launch the culmination of years of training and preparation.
Nasa will broadcast the launch live on NASA+ and as well as the agency's YouTube channel, with coverage beginning ahead of liftoff.
If all goes as planned, Menon and his crew-mates will return to Earth in April 2027 after completing their long-duration mission aboard the ISS.
