Who is Anna Menon? The SpaceX engineer and astronaut married to NASA’s Anil Menon, whose family has Kerala roots
Long before she travelled into orbit, Anna Menon was helping others reach space
Before Dr Anil Menon prepares to make his first journey beyond Earth, his family already has a place in space history, thanks to his wife Anna Menon.
The SpaceX engineer and astronaut became one of the few women to complete a commercial spacewalk when she flew aboard the historic Polaris Dawn mission in 2024. Now, as Anil gets ready to launch towards the International Space Station (ISS), the couple’s shared connection to space has drawn attention back to their remarkable journeys.
Anil Menon, a NASA astronaut of Indian origin, is scheduled to launch aboard Russia’s Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft on July 15 for an eight-month mission as part of Expedition 75. He will travel alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina.
For Kerala, the mission carries special significance. Anil is set to become the first astronaut with roots in the state to travel to space, connecting his family’s hometown of Ottapalam in Palakkad district to a growing list of space achievers.
However, Palakkad’s space link is not limited to Anil.
The district now has a rare connection to three astronauts:
Anna Menon — SpaceX engineer and private astronaut who flew on Polaris Dawn in 2024.
Dr Anil Menon — NASA astronaut preparing for his first ISS mission.
Air Commodore Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair — one of India’s astronaut-designates for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.
The milestone is particularly meaningful for Kerala, a state with deep ties to India’s space programme, including the early launch activities of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Thumba.
Who is Anna Menon?
Long before she travelled into orbit, Anna Menon was helping others reach space.
A SpaceX engineer, mission specialist and medical officer, Menon played a crucial role in the Polaris Dawn mission, which pushed the boundaries of commercial human spaceflight.
Launched in 2024, Polaris Dawn made history with the first commercial spacewalk. During the mission, Menon helped conduct nearly 40 scientific experiments, contributed to medical research and became part of a record-breaking journey that saw the crew reach the highest altitude ever achieved by a woman.
Her path to space combines engineering, medicine and mission operations.
Menon earned dual bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and Spanish from Texas Christian University before completing a master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Duke University.
She later joined SpaceX, where she spent seven years working on crewed spaceflight operations, including supporting the Dragon spacecraft programme and serving as a mission director and crew communicator for multiple missions, including Demo-2, SpaceX’s first crewed flight.
Before stepping into the astronaut role herself, she worked from the ground at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, supporting medical systems and technology used aboard the ISS.
Her training has also taken her far beyond traditional engineering roles. She has completed parachute training with the US Air Force Academy, climbed Mount Cotopaxi and is an experienced scuba diver.
In September 2025, Menon officially reported for astronaut duty, adding another chapter to a career built around exploration.
The astronaut couple: Anna and Anil Menon
Space is a a shared mission for the family.
Anna Menon is married to Dr Anil Menon, who was selected by NASA in its 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Anil is the son of Indian and Ukrainian immigrants. His father, Shankaran Menon, has roots in Kerala’s Palakkad district, while his mother, Elizabeth Samoilenko, is Ukrainian.
Before becoming an astronaut, Anil built a career at the intersection of medicine, engineering and space exploration.
He studied neurobiology at Harvard University, completed a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and earned his medical degree from Stanford University. He later specialised in emergency medicine and aerospace medicine.
His experience includes serving as a NASA flight surgeon from 2014, supporting astronauts aboard the ISS, and working with SpaceX from 2018, where he helped establish the company’s medical programme.
He served as lead flight surgeon for SpaceX’s first crewed missions and also worked as a US Air Force flight surgeon, including supporting combat operations in Afghanistan.
His career has also included humanitarian work after earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal, as well as medical support in extreme environments near Mount Everest.
What will Anil Menon do on the ISS?
During his eight-month ISS mission, Anil will focus on research exploring how the human body responds to long-duration spaceflight.
His work will include studying changes in blood circulation, veins and blood composition in microgravity, testing methods to produce intravenous fluids using the station’s water system, and supporting research involving ultrasound, artificial intelligence and augmented reality.
