Indian-Origin NASA Astronaut Anil Menon Lifts Off on First ISS Mission Aboard Soyuz MS-29

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon has successfully lifted off for his first space mission , launching aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft on Tuesday for an eight-month expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) .

The Soyuz MS-29 blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 8:17 p.m. IST , carrying Menon alongside Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina . The spacecraft entered orbit as planned and is expected to dock with the ISS a little over three hours after launch, where the trio will join the existing Expedition crew for a long-duration scientific mission.

During his stay aboard the orbital laboratory, Menon will lead and support several scientific experiments aimed at advancing future human space exploration. His research will investigate how long-duration spaceflight affects blood flow, vein structure and blood composition in astronauts. He will also help test technology to produce intravenous (IV) fluids using the ISS water supply, a capability considered vital for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

The mission will also include studies on semiconductor crystal production in microgravity , which could improve high-performance computing, artificial intelligence technologies and advanced medical devices. Menon will further conduct AI- and augmented reality-assisted ultrasound experiments designed to help astronauts perform complex medical procedures with minimal reliance on real-time support from Earth.

Born in Minneapolis to Indian and Ukrainian immigrant parents , the 49-year-old began his NASA career as a flight surgeon in 2014 before joining SpaceX in 2018, where he established the company's medical programme and contributed to its first human spaceflight missions and the development of the Starship spacecraft. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021 .

Before joining NASA's astronaut corps, Menon served as a military physician in Afghanistan, worked with the Himalayan Rescue Association treating climbers on Mount Everest, and spent a year in India supporting polio vaccination programmes as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar.

The mission marks a significant milestone for Menon and reinforces the continued NASA-Roscosmos collaboration in maintaining a continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station while advancing research that could shape the future of deep-space exploration.