Nasas Anil Menon 2 Russian Cosmonauts Head To Iss How To Watch Launch Live

Nasa astronaut Anil Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina are set to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) today aboard Russia’s Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft. The mission will lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:47 am EDT (8:17 pm IST).

The Soyuz spacecraft is expected to reach the ISS after a fast-track journey lasting just two orbits around Earth. Docking is scheduled for 1:56 pm EDT (11:26 pm IST), with live coverage resuming before the spacecraft arrives at the orbital laboratory. Hatch opening is expected later in the day, after standard safety checks.

The three astronauts will join the seven-member Expedition crew already aboard the ISS, including 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 mission marks the first spaceflight for Anil Menon, who was selected as part of Nasa’s 2021 astronaut class. Before joining Nasa, Menon worked as SpaceX’s first flight surgeon, helping support commercial human spaceflight missions.

During his approximately eight-month stay aboard the ISS, Menon will participate in several scientific investigations. According to Nasa, he will work on research aimed at improving the production of semiconductor crystals in microgravity, a technology that could benefit high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and advanced medical devices.

He will also conduct experiments involving ultrasound imaging assisted by augmented reality and artificial intelligence, with the goal of reducing astronauts’ dependence on medical support from Earth during future deep-space missions.

The mission will be the second spaceflight for both Dubrov and Kikina. Dubrov previously spent nearly a year aboard the ISS between 2021 and 2022, while Kikina flew to the station on SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission in 2022, becoming the first Russian cosmonaut to travel on a private American spacecraft.

The Soyuz MS-29 mission continues the long-running cooperation between Nasa and Roscosmos, allowing astronauts from both agencies to fly on each other’s spacecraft as part of seat-swap agreements that help maintain continuous operations aboard the International Space Station.