NASA astronaut Anil Menon blasted off on his maiden spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS).
He lifted off aboard Russia’s Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 14 July.
Menon was flying alongside Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina as part of the Expedition 74/75 crew.
The mission is expected to last around eight months, during which the crew will carry out scientific experiments, technology demonstrations and medical research in microgravity.
A physician, aerospace medicine specialist and US Air Force colonel, Menon previously served as NASA’s flight surgeon and was also SpaceX’s first flight surgeon before being selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021.
His research aboard the ISS will contribute to advancements in human health in space and support future deep-space missions, including NASA’s plans for the Moon and Mars.
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