Anna Menon (née Wilhelm; born December 24, 1985) is an American engineer employed by SpaceX as lead space operations and a mission director. She flew on Polaris Dawn, a private human spaceflight mission operated by SpaceX on behalf of Jared Isaacman. During the September 2024 mission, she served as the onboard medical officer and, along with Sarah Gillis, set the record for women traveling farthest from Earth.
Menon previously worked as a biomedical flight controller at NASA for six years, overseeing operations at the International Space Station before joining SpaceX.
Menon joined SpaceX in July 2018 as a Space Operations Engineer. She was promoted to Lead Space Operations Engineer in November 2019.[8] In her position, she manages the development of crew operations, ensuring that procedures and protocols are in place for astronauts during their missions.[9][6] She also served in the company's mission control, including during the Demo-2 flight. During Inspiration4, a private spaceflight funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, she served as technical adviser to the family members of the all-civilian crew, explaining the complexities of spaceflight to loved ones on the ground. Shortly after he returned from space, Isaacman picked Menon to be part of his Polaris Dawn mission. During the mission, Menon served as the on-board medical officer and helped carry out science experiments during the trip.[10][11][12]
Personal life
Anil and Anna Menon at NASA Mission Control Houston Texas to direct ISS US EVA 28
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