Indian-origin astronaut Anil Menon launched on eight-month-long space mission

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two Russian cosmonauts on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) lifted off onboard a Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from Kazakhstan on an eight-month mission to the International Space Station.

The Roscosmos spacecraft carrying Mr. Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome at 8:17 pm IST.

After a two-orbit, three-hour trip to the station, the spacecraft will automatically dock at 11:56 p.m. IST to the Prichal module.