USA (Commonwealth Union)_ Anil Menon, a US-born astronaut with Indian roots, is preparing for his first mission to space. He is part of NASA’s Expedition 75 crew and is scheduled to head to the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2026. According to NASA, Menon will launch aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. He will be joined by two Russian cosmonauts, Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, for an expected eight-month stay on the ISS. Menon will conduct scientific experiments and test new technologies during the mission. These endeavours aim to enhance Earth’s quality of life and pave the path for future human space exploration.
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Born in 1976 in the United States, Menon brings a multicultural background to his role. His father, Shankaran Menon, immigrated to the US from India’s Kerala state, while his mother, Lisa Samoilenko, has Ukrainian heritage. Additionally, Menon’s academic credentials are just as impressive. He pursued neurobiology at Harvard University and later obtained a medical degree and a master’s in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. Additionally, he also completed a residency program in aerospace medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. There, he focused his research on designing medical kits for use in commercial space travel.
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Menon serves as a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force and is a specialist in emergency medicine. His experience in aerospace medicine includes serving as a flight surgeon with NASA. Before officially joining NASA’s astronaut corps, he worked at SpaceX, where he became the company’s first flight surgeon. He played a key role in the launch of the first crewed Dragon spacecraft during the historic Demo-2 mission and helped build SpaceX’s medical systems to support future spaceflights. In 2021, NASA selected Menon as a member of its 23rd astronaut class. After completing his basic training in 2024, he began preparing for his upcoming mission aboard the ISS.
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Even outside of his space duties, Menon remains dedicated to medicine. He practices emergency care at Memorial Hermann’s Texas Medical Center in Houston and mentors’ medical residents through the University of Texas. Anil Menon is married to Anna Menon, a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX. She is also part of the Polaris Dawn mission, which is part of billionaire Jared Isaacman’s Polaris space program. Together, the couple has two children. As Menon looks ahead to 2026, his mission marks not only a personal milestone but also a significant moment for representation in space, bringing together science, service, and a global heritage.
