✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Anna Menon

Anna Menon biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Anna Menon Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 28, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

BirthplaceHouston, Texas

ProfessionAstronaut, Space Operations Engineer

NationalityAmerican

Marital statusMarried

SpouseAnil Menon

FamilySon (born 2018); Daughter (born 2020); Parents: Chandler and Laura Wilhelm; Siblings: Alex and Rachel Wilhelm

Anna Menon Biography

Anna Menon is an American astronaut and space operations engineer who has worked at NASA and SpaceX. Trained in mathematics, Spanish and biomedical-enginee

Early life and background

Anna Wilhelm Menon grew up in Houston, Texas, and developed an interest in space at a young age. Her early exposure to mission control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center helped shape that interest. She completed undergraduate studies in mathematics and Spanish at Texas Christian University and went on to earn a master of science degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University.

Career

Menon began her professional life at NASA, where she served as a biomedical flight controller. In that role she supported space station crews from mission control, coordinated with international partner engineers and medical teams, and supervised biomedical planning and operations.

After about seven years at NASA, she moved to SpaceX. At SpaceX she has held roles in mission operations, including Mission Director and crew communicator. Her responsibilities have included developing crew operations, contributing to the design and implementation of crew capabilities for the Dragon spacecraft, and creating operational responses for in-flight vehicle emergencies such as cabin depressurisation and fire.

Menon worked on several Dragon missions, including Demo-2, Crew-1, CRS-22 and CRS-23. In those capacities she supported both crewed and cargo aspects of Dragon missions; the Dragon vehicle is capable of carrying multiple passengers to orbit and returning substantial cargo to Earth.

Polaris Dawn and public projects

In February 2022 Anna Menon was named as a crew member of the Polaris Dawn private human spaceflight mission. For that mission she was designated medical officer and mission specialist. The announced Polaris Dawn crew included Jared Isaacman, Scott Poteet, Sarah Gillis and Menon. In 2021 she also appeared in the Netflix docuseries Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space.

Public profile

Menon is known to enjoy hiking, flying small airplanes and salsa dancing. Physical details listed publicly include a height of approximately 165 cm (about 5 feet 5 inches), light brown eyes and medium blonde hair.

Personal life

Anna Menon is married to Anil Menon, who is identified as a NASA astronaut and SpaceX medical director. They were married on October 15, 2016, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston. The couple has two children: a son born in 2018 and a daughter born in 2020. Her parents are named Chandler and Laura Wilhelm; her siblings are listed as a brother, Alex Wilhelm, and a sister, Rachel Wilhelm.

Volunteer work and humanitarian efforts

Menon has participated in volunteer efforts with organizations such as Engineers Without Borders and Engineering World Health. She also worked with the World Health Organization to provide relief during the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

Latest updates

As of the information provided, Menon’s selection for the Polaris Dawn mission and her continuing operational work at SpaceX are among the most recent public developments in her career.
◈

Recent Work

Polaris Dawn

Named crew member; served as medical officer and mission specialist for the planned private human spaceflight mission operated by SpaceX.

2022
Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space

Featured in the Netflix docuseries about Inspiration4.

2021
✦

Career Highlights

  1. Biomedical flight controller at NASA supporting space station crews and biomedical operations
  2. Mission Director and crew communicator roles at SpaceX, contributing to Dragon crew capabilities
  3. Crew member (medical officer and mission specialist) for the Polaris Dawn mission
  4. Featured in the Netflix docuseries Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space
  5. Volunteer work with WHO, Engineers Without Borders and Engineering World Health
?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Anna Menon known for?

Astronaut, Space Operations Engineer

What is Anna Menon’s marital status?

Married

Who is Anna Menon married to?

Anil Menon