Anil Menon: The Indian-American NASA Astronaut Set to Embark on His First ISS Mission in 2026
Anil Menon, an Indian-American NASA astronaut, is slated for his inaugural mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2026. Selected as part of NASA's 23rd astronaut class in 2021 and graduating in 2024, Menon will serve as a flight engineer and Expedition 75 crew member aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft. Launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, he will join Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina for an approximately eight-month stay on the ISS, during which he will conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations to advance human space exploration and benefit life on Earth.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1976 to Indian and Ukrainian immigrant parents, Menon has a distinguished academic and professional background. He holds a bachelor's degree in neurobiology from Harvard University, and both a medical degree and a master's in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. He completed residencies in emergency medicine and aerospace medicine at Stanford and the University of Texas Medical Branch, where he also authored a thesis on medical kits for commercial spaceflight.
Menon's career uniquely bridges medicine, aerospace, and military service. A lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force and the Space Force, he began his NASA journey in 2014 as a flight surgeon supporting ISS crews and Soyuz missions. He was SpaceX’s first flight surgeon, playing a pivotal role in the launch of the first crewed Dragon spacecraft during NASA’s Demo-2 mission and helping establish SpaceX’s medical infrastructure for future human spaceflight. Despite his demanding roles, Menon continues to practice emergency medicine and mentors residents at Memorial Hermann’s Texas Medical Center and the University of Texas residency program.
Outside his professional pursuits, Menon is a certified flight instructor with over 1,000 flying hours and enjoys endurance sports like Ironman races. He is married to Anna Menon, a Lead Space Operations Engineer at SpaceX, and they have two children.