NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two Russian cosmonauts launched Tuesday aboard a Soyuz spacecraft from Kazakhstan for an eight-month stay on the International Space Station. The vehicle lifted off from the Baikonur launch site at 8:17 p.m. Indian time carrying Menon along with Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. After a three-hour flight the capsule is scheduled to dock automatically with the Prichal module at 11:56 p.m. Menon is making his first spaceflight while the two cosmonauts are on their second mission. Family members and NASA officials attended the launch. Once aboard the station the crew will join several other NASA, European and Russian astronauts already present. Their mission is expected to end with a return to Earth in April 2027. During the flight Menon will perform experiments on the effects of long-duration spaceflight, including studies of blood circulation and fluid production methods. He will also test semiconductor crystal growth techniques and ultrasound procedures that use augmented reality. Drawings created by Indian schoolchildren were placed aboard the spacecraft before launch.
