Meet NASA astronaut Anna Menon, the record-breaking trailblazer with an India connection

NASA just got 10 fresh faces ready to blast off into the history books. On Monday, the agency introduced its newest class of astronaut candidates – and this one is history-making. For the first time ever, women outnumber men in a NASA astronaut class, with six of the 10 candidates being women.

The class of 2025 includes: Ben Bailey, Lauren Edgar, Adam Fuhrmann, Cameron Jones, Yuri Kubo, Rebecca Lawler, Anna Menon, Dr. Imelda Muller, Erin Overcash, and Katherine Spies. Seven have military backgrounds, including four of the six women, and three are already part of the NASA family.

And one of them, is Anna Menon.

Menon has already flown to low-Earth orbit. In 2024, she served as a mission specialist and medical officer on SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission, completing nearly 40 research experiments, helping set the record for the highest altitude ever reached by a woman, and taking part in the first commercial spacewalk.

Menon officially reported for astronaut duty in September 2025. Her resume is stellar (pun intended):

She’s also completed parachute training with the US Air Force Academy, summited Mount Cotopaxi, and is an avid scuba diver.

If that weren’t impressive enough, Anna Menon is married to fellow astronaut Anil Menon, who was selected for NASA’s 2021 class. The couple have two children.

Anil, is of Indian and Ukrainian heritage and served as the flight surgeon for SpaceX’s first human mission. He’s scheduled to fly on the Soyuz MS-29 mission in June 2026 as part of Expedition 75.

Menon’s work has already earned her a growing list of honours, including:

She also dedicates time to community service, volunteering with organisations like the World Health Organization and Engineers Without Borders when she’s not busy training for space missions.