NASA astronaut Anil Menon is set to launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, July 14. He will be joined by cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina for the mission, which will see them join the Expedition 74 crew.
The Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft will lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:47 a.m. EDT (7:47 p.m. Baikonur time). The launch will mark a continuation of the longstanding partnership between NASA and Roscosmos for crew transport to the ISS.
Upon docking with the station, Menon, Dubrov, and Kikina will integrate with the current Expedition 74 crew to advance scientific research in microgravity. The mission emphasizes international collaboration in space exploration.
The flight represents a key milestone for Menon, a NASA astronaut selected in the 2021 class, as his first mission to orbit. The Soyuz spacecraft remains a primary crew vehicle for Russian cosmonauts and partner astronauts.
Details on the mission's duration and specific research objectives have not been fully outlined by NASA, but the launch coverage will be provided by the agency. The flight continues the regular rotation of ISS crews amid evolving geopolitical dynamics in space cooperation.