Anil Menon and Two Russian Cosmonauts Launch to ISS for 8-Month Mission

A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts launched successfully to the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, beginning an eight-month mission focused on scientific research critical for future deep space exploration. Anil Menon, on his first spaceflight, lifted off alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina aboard the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The launch occurred at 10:47 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Following a two-orbit, three-hour journey, the spacecraft was scheduled to dock automatically with the station's Prichal module at 1:56 p.m. EDT. The trio is expected to spend approximately eight months aboard the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth in April 2027.

Upon arrival, the new crew will join the seven astronauts and cosmonauts already on board as part of Expedition 74/75. The station's current residents include NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev, and Andrey Fedyaev. The crew of the previous Soyuz mission, including Williams, Kud-Sverchkov, and Mikaev, is...