ISS to Host First Spacewalk by Frenchwoman
The 6.5-hour repair will keep high-speed data and voice links between the station and Mission Control in Houston, NASA said.
- French astronaut Sophie Adenot will conduct a spacewalk on Tuesday outside the International Space Station, joining U.S. astronaut Anil Menon to repair a high-speed communications antenna.
- Adenot becomes the first French woman to perform a spacewalk, following Claudie, who flew missions in 1996 and 2001 but did not conduct EVAs; she is the second European woman after Samantha Cristoforetti.
- Preparation involved months of training in a swimming pool, and French astronaut Jean-Pierre Haigneré described the physical demands: "every movement of the hand on a carabiner is like squeezing a tennis ball in half."
- Working 450 kilometres above Earth in a suit weighing around 250kg, Adenot called the mission "an adventure within the adventure," writing: "It will be my turn to head outside the Station."
- Adenot could carry out a second spacewalk on 25 August, while the mission reflects ESA commitment to guaranteeing space access as commercial and government activity in orbit expands.
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Sophie Adenot became the first French woman to make an extravehicular outing. In Toulouse, visitors to the Cité de l'Espace followed this historic moment.
Sophie Adenot on Tuesday became the first French astronaut to walk in open space outside the International Space Station (ISS).
Astronaut Sophie Adenot started her first extravehicular release with the American Anil Menon on Tuesday, August 18 to dismantle a defective antenna. First Frenchman to perform this kind of release, she already has a great experience behind her, but what is her salary? Elements of answer.
Il Tempo
Quotidiano Nazionale(Agenzia Vista) Rome, 18 August 2026 The astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA) Sophie Adenot left the International Space Station (ISS) for her first extraveicular activity (EVA). The operation marks the 31st space walk for a European astronaut and the first ever conducted by a French woman. Not for sale. Courtesy: Nasa Source: Agenzia Vista / Alexander Jakhnagiev
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