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.