NASA astronaut Anil Menon completed his first spacewalk on Aug. 6, working outside the International Space Station with fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir for about six and a half hours.

The astronauts began U.S. Spacewalk 96 at 8:33 a.m. EDT and concluded it at 3 p.m. Their main assignment was to prepare the station’s 3B power channel for a future International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, known as an IROSA. The new array is expected to increase the orbiting laboratory’s power capacity and support research, life-support systems and other station operations.

Menon and Meir installed the final set of mounting hardware needed for the planned solar array. Their work included assembling brackets, routing cables and adding insulation on the station’s Starboard 6 truss. The outing was the 281st spacewalk conducted in support of International Space Station assembly, maintenance and upgrades.

The achievement marked another milestone in Menon’s first spaceflight. He arrived at the station in July aboard the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft and is serving as a flight engineer during Expedition 75. His mission includes scientific investigations and technology demonstrations intended to support future exploration and produce benefits on Earth.

Born and raised in Minneapolis to Indian and Ukrainian immigrant parents, Menon is an emergency physician, mechanical engineer and colonel in the U.S. Space Force. He earned a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology from Harvard University, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a medical degree from Stanford University.

Before joining NASA’s astronaut corps, Menon served as SpaceX’s first flight surgeon. He helped build the company’s medical organization and supported early crewed Dragon missions. NASA selected him for its 2021 astronaut class, and he completed astronaut candidate training in 2024.

Menon’s first spacewalk combined technical construction work with the broader effort to keep the International Space Station operating safely and productively. It also added a significant first to the career of an Indian American astronaut whose background spans medicine, engineering, military service and human spaceflight.

Key Takeaways About Anil Menon

• He completed his first spacewalk on Aug. 6.
• He spent approximately six and a half hours outside the space station.
• He helped prepare the station for a future solar array.
• He is an emergency physician, engineer and U.S. Space Force colonel.
• He was selected for NASA’s astronaut corps in 2021.

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