From Rejection to Orbit: Anil Menon’s Improbable Journey to Space

Anil Menon, a NASA flight surgeon and former SpaceX employee, launched into space aboard a Russian Soyuz vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday evening, local time. The mission marks the culmination of a career defined by resilience, having been rejected four times for astronaut selection before his eventual appointment to NASA’s 23rd astronaut group in 2021. Menon’s launch was attended by family members, including his wife Anna Menon, and Jared Isaacman, who is now the NASA administrator.

Menon’s path to space was far from linear. At 39, following his fourth rejection, he admitted defeat and pivoted his focus to space medicine, deciding that if he could not go to space, he would help others do so. This decision led him to leave his position as a flight surgeon at NASA and join SpaceX in 2018. The move was a significant gamble for his family, who relocated from Houston to California. At SpaceX, Menon worked with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to ensure the safety of the Demo-2 mission, the first human flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The role expanded dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Menon was tasked with leading SpaceX’s internal health response while simultaneously overseeing the final preparations for Demo-2. He conducted antibody testing, collaborated with Harvard University on publications, and helped facilitate the production of ventilators and masks. The Demo-2 mission launched in May 2020, with Menon present for the crew’s final moments on Earth and among the first to greet them upon splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

While managing the pandemic response, Menon reconsidered his astronaut ambitions. He reapplied to NASA, employing meditation and improved interviewing techniques to address previous shortcomings. In early 2022, he received a call from Reid Wiseman, chief of the Astronaut Office, who initially joked about issues with the Dragon spacecraft’s toilet facilities before revealing that Menon had been selected as an astronaut. The moment was shared with his wife, Anna, who was already deeply embedded in the space industry.

Anna Menon’s own journey had taken a parallel turn. While working in crew operations at SpaceX, she assisted Jared Isaacman with preparations for the private Inspiration4 mission in September 2021. Impressed by her work, Isaacman invited her to join his next mission, Polaris Dawn. She flew in 2024, beating her husband to space by two years, and was subsequently selected as a NASA astronaut in 2024. Anil Menon was initially assigned to Boeing’s Starliner programme before being moved to the current Soyuz mission.

The launch at Baikonur brought together a unique constellation of figures from the modern space era. Alongside Anna and their children, Jared Isaacman attended the event, reflecting on Menon’s perseverance. Isaacman, who had previously worked closely with Anna, noted that few have worked harder to chase their dream. Menon’s two Russian crewmates joined him for final ceremonies at the Cosmonaut Hotel before the Tuesday evening launch, marking a significant milestone in both his personal life and the broader landscape of human spaceflight.