NASA astronaut Anil Menon will launch to the International Space Station on July 14 aboard Soyuz MS-29 with Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. The crew lifts off at 10:47 a.m. EDT from Baikonur Cosmodrome and docks at the Prichal module about three hours later. Menon will join Expedition 74, conducting research on semiconductor crystal production in microgravity, ultrasound techniques using augmented reality, and bioprinting vascular constructs to study aging processes.
This is Menon's first spaceflight; Dubrov and Kikina are flying their second missions. The trio will remain on station for about eight months before returning in April 2027. During his stay, Menon will also serve as a test subject for research on how blood flow changes in space, work intended to support long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars under NASA's Artemis program. Live coverage begins at 9:45 a.m. EDT across NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.