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Countdown begins for Anil Menon's first spaceflight
The Soyuz rocket is scheduled to lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 14.
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Pranavi Sharma - Tue, 14, Jul 2026
- 04:24 EDT
- 41
Anil Menon / NASA
Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon is scheduled to launch on his first spaceflight July 14 aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft, beginning an eight-month mission to the International Space Station that will focus on scientific research and technology testing for future lunar and Mars missions.
The Soyuz rocket is scheduled to lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 8:17 p.m. IST July 14. Menon will travel with Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the International Space Station at about 11:26 p.m. IST after a journey of just over three hours.
Once aboard the station, the three astronauts will join Expedition 74, where they are expected to spend about eight months conducting experiments in microgravity and evaluating technologies intended to support future human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
Menon's research will include experiments on growing high-quality semiconductor crystals in microgravity to improve future electronics. He will also help test artificial intelligence-assisted ultrasound techniques designed to enable astronauts to perform medical scans without real-time guidance from doctors on Earth.
His work aboard the station will also include studies examining how blood circulation changes in space and testing bioprinting technologies that could contribute to medical research on aging and tissue repair.
ALSO READ: Anil Menon set for first spaceflight to ISS
The International Space Station has remained continuously inhabited for more than 25 years, serving as a laboratory for experiments that cannot be conducted under Earth's gravity.
Born to an Indian father and a Ukrainian mother, Menon was selected by NASA as part of its 2021 astronaut class after a career spanning medicine, engineering and aerospace.
Before joining NASA, Menon served as SpaceX's first flight surgeon, where he helped develop medical support systems for the company's human spaceflight missions. He is also an emergency medicine physician and a colonel in the U.S. Space Force with expertise in aerospace medicine.
Although this will be Menon's first trip to space, he has contributed to multiple human spaceflight missions through his work in medical operations and astronaut support. The launch marks the first time he will travel beyond Earth after years of training and preparation.
NASA will broadcast the launch live on NASA+ and the agency's YouTube channel, with coverage beginning before liftoff.
If the mission proceeds as planned, Menon and his crewmates are expected to return to Earth in April 2027 after completing their long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station.
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