Washington: NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two Russian cosmonauts reached the International Space Station to hugs and handshakes in the early hours of Wednesday (India time) on board the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft after a little over three-hour journey.
The Roscosmos spacecraft carrying Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off from Baikonur at 8:17 pm IST on Tuesday, just as the orbital laboratory flew over the cosmodrome.
After an eight-minute climb to the preliminary orbit, the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft began a nearly three-hour chase to the International Space Station to dock at the Prichal module at 11:52 pm (IST).
Once aboard the station, they will join up with the members of the Expedition 74 crew, three NASA astronauts, one European Space Agency astronaut, and three cosmonauts, who have been on the station conducting scientific experiments.
Menon, Dubrov and Kikina’s mission will last about eight months, and they are scheduled to return to Earth in April 2027.
Menon, an emergency medicine doctor, will “conduct scientific research and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing human space exploration and benefiting life on Earth,” according to NASA.
That includes research into the production of semiconductor crystals in space, and testing augmented reality and artificial intelligence tools for medical support in space, NASA said.
“He will be a test subject helping researchers understand how blood flow is affected in space to protect future astronauts. He also will test bioprinting vascular constructs in microgravity to improve understanding of the aging process to advance therapeutic developments,” the agency added.
During an April news conference, Menon said the mission is a critical stepping stone as NASA sets its sights on building a moon base and, eventually, sending people to Mars.
“I’ve always thought about these long-duration missions like Mars, it might take three years to get there, or the lunar base where you’re actually working on the moon, which would be an opportunity for a lot of people in the future,” Menon said.
In June, Menon spoke with ABC News’ medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton about the upcoming mission, explaining that his work caring for patients is often more challenging to him than preparing for his trip to space because, as a physician, he is always trying to minimize risk for his patients.
Menon and his wife, Anna, are both NASA astronauts, a development he says the couple never anticipated.
“There was a 0% chance we thought this would happen,” he said during the April news conference, adding that he had previously been rejected by NASA before ultimately being selected in December 2021.
“I wanted to be an astronaut, but I thought that door was closed because I had tried and had been unsuccessful at an interview.”
