For generations, Kerala has sent its people across oceans in search of new horizons. Now, one of its own is preparing to journey far beyond Earth.

NASA astronaut Dr Anil Menon, the first astronaut of Malayali origin to travel to space, is set to embark on his maiden mission to the International Space Station (ISS), marking a proud milestone for both India and the global Malayali community.

The physician-engineer will lift off aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 14, beginning an expedition that will keep him in orbit for nearly eight months.

Travelling alongside Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, Menon will serve as a flight engineer during the mission. The crew will first join Expedition 74 aboard the ISS before transitioning to Expedition 75 during their stay.

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Menon was born to an Indian father with family roots in Ottapalam, Kerala, and a Ukrainian mother.

Despite growing up in the United States, he has often spoken about the importance of his Kerala heritage and the pride he feels in representing his family's roots on the global stage.

His journey to becoming an astronaut reflects an extraordinary blend of science, medicine, and service.

Menon earned a degree in neurobiology from Harvard University before completing both a master's degree in mechanical engineering and a Doctor of Medicine from Stanford University.

He later specialised in emergency and aerospace medicine, building expertise that would eventually take him to the forefront of human spaceflight.

Long before wearing NASA's astronaut badge, Menon was already shaping the future of space exploration.

He served as NASA's flight surgeon, caring for astronauts on long-duration missions, before becoming SpaceX's first flight surgeon.

There, he helped develop the company's human spaceflight medical programme and played a key role in the landmark Demo-2 mission, the first crewed flight of the Dragon spacecraft.

Beyond the space industry, Menon has also served as a colonel in the United States Space Force, continues to practise emergency medicine in Texas and has participated in humanitarian relief efforts following disasters such as the Haiti and Nepal earthquakes.

During his stay aboard the ISS, Menon will contribute to a wide range of scientific experiments aimed at preparing humanity for future deep-space missions.

His work will include studying how prolonged spaceflight affects blood circulation, testing ultrasound systems that combine artificial intelligence and augmented reality to improve medical care in space, and advancing research into manufacturing semiconductor crystals in microgravity for next-generation computing technologies.

He will also participate in experiments involving the bioprinting of vascular tissue in space, research that could deepen scientists' understanding of ageing and pave the way for future medical therapies on Earth.

As he prepares for his first journey beyond the planet, Menon's mission is more than another chapter in space exploration.

It is also the story of a boy with Malayali roots whose path through medicine, engineering and public service has carried him from Earth-bound hospitals to the threshold of the stars.