NASA’s Anil Menon, two Russians blast off for 8-month ISS mission

Washington: NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two Russian cosmonauts lifted off aboard a Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from Kazakhstan on Tuesday, beginning an eight-month mission to the International Space Station.

The Roscosmos spacecraft carrying Menon, cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov and cosmonaut Anna Kikina lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 8:17 pm IST. Before boarding, the Expedition 75 crew waved farewell to teams at the launch site.

According to NASA, Menon will “conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing human space exploration and benefiting life on Earth” during the mission.

The launch marks another joint flight under the ongoing NASA-Roscosmos crew exchange agreement, which keeps both American and Russian astronauts flying on Soyuz and U.S. commercial spacecraft to the ISS.

Menon, a flight surgeon and former SpaceX medical director, is flying to space for the first time. He joins Dubrov and Kikina for a scheduled 8-month stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, where the trio will support station operations, experiments, and maintenance.