NASA astronaut Anil Menon, the first person of Kerala origin to reach the International Space Station (ISS), has successfully completed his first-ever spacewalk, marking a historic achievement in his space journey.
Menon joined fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir for the mission, which focused on assembling a modification kit for the ISS’s 3B power channel. The upgrade will support the future installation of additional roll-out solar arrays, known as IROSA, which will help increase the space station’s power generation capacity.
According to updates shared by Gold 101.3 FM, UAE’s No.1 radio station, NASA confirmed that astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon completed their spacewalk outside the International Space Station at 3 pm EDT. The mission lasted 6 hours and 27 minutes, during which the astronauts completed their primary objectives, including preparing the 3B power channel for future upgrades.
NASA said the work will enable the installation of IROSA solar arrays, providing additional power to the orbiting laboratory and supporting critical systems as well as the station’s planned safe and controlled deorbit process in the future.
The milestone marked Anil Menon’s first spacewalk, while it was the sixth spacewalk for Jessica Meir. Their successful operation adds another important chapter to NASA’s ongoing efforts to maintain and upgrade the International Space Station.
Born in Minneapolis, United States, to Indian and Ukrainian immigrant parents, the 49-year-old Anil Menon is an emergency medicine physician and a US Space Force colonel. His father, K. P. Shankaran Menon, is from Ottapalam in Kerala’s Palakkad district, while his mother, Elizabeth Samoylenko, migrated from Ukraine to the United States.
Menon’s achievement has brought pride to Kerala and the wider Indian community worldwide, highlighting the growing contribution of people of Indian origin to global space exploration.
