Who is NASA's 1st astronaut with a commercial spaceflight background
Anna Menon just joined NASA's 2025 astronaut class and is now training for future Moon and Mars missions.
Before this, she made waves as a mission specialist on SpaceX's Polaris Dawn flight in 2024, where she set a new altitude record for women and took part in the first commercial spacewalk.
Education and early career
Menon studied Math and Spanish at Texas Christian University, then earned a master's in Biomedical Engineering from Duke.
She started out supporting medical operations at NASA's Johnson Space Center, then moved to SpaceX in 2018 to lead crew operations for Dragon and Starship flights.
Personal life and current role
A Houstonian, Anna is married to fellow astronaut Anil Menon, and they have two kids.
Now reporting for duty at NASA as part of the 2025 astronaut class, she blends experience from both government and private spaceflight as she prepares for big missions ahead.