Milestone on the ISS
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot has become the first French woman to complete a spacewalk, venturing outside the International Space Station (ISS) on 18 August alongside NASA astronaut Anil Menon. The mission marked a historic first for France and made Adenot the second European woman to walk in space, following Italy's Samantha Cristoforetti in 2022.
The spacewalk lasted approximately six hours and 23 minutes, according to reports from Malay Mail and Silicon Republic. During the mission, the astronauts worked to replace a space-to-ground antenna critical for communication between the ISS and mission control in Houston. Adenot, aged 44, was heard saying "I'm out" as she exited the station, adding "I feel very good now." Footage from NASA showed the pair chatting and laughing during the excursion.
Technical Challenges and Revised Plan
While Adenot and Menon successfully removed the faulty antenna, their work was hampered by stuck bolts and connectors, preventing the installation of a new one as originally planned. Mission Control revised the plan, instructing the crew to perform a long-duration tie-down on the Station's truss structure instead of transporting the failed antenna. The installation of a spare is now scheduled for a future spacewalk.
Menon, speaking on an ESA livestream, reflected on the mission's difficulties: "We got into this with the mindset that we wanted everything to go perfectly. Things were a lot different than expected, but what I would say that I am really impressed with is that all of those contingencies were well thought out."
The spacewalk was the 282nd conducted in support of space station assembly, maintenance and upgrades, according to ESA. Another spacewalk is planned for 25 August, which will be the fifth of the εpsilon mission.
A Milestone for France
The achievement drew praise from French President Emmanuel Macron, who hailed Adenot's spacewalk as a cause for "French pride."
Adenot, a former test pilot by training, became the second French woman in history to travel to space in February, after Claudie Haigneré. The last French person to walk in space was Thomas Pesquet, who did so six times over two missions aboard the ISS.
Reflecting on her preparation, Adenot wrote on social media platform X prior to the excursion: "A successful EVA starts long before the hatch opens and that's where my focus has been these past few days, rehearsing, preparing and focusing." After the mission, she expressed gratitude, saying, "Yeah, what a day, my deepest gratitude goes to everyone who made this possible, pioneers who came before us, but also the incredible teams working behind the scenes."
Support and Future Prospects
During the spacewalk, flight engineer Jack Hathaway and station commander Jessica Meir remained inside the ISS, assisting the spacewalkers in donning their suits and operating a robotic arm to support the antenna work.
In a related development, ESA's Phi-Lab Ireland announced an open call in June, inviting Irish companies to position themselves in the global space economy, with a deadline of 8 September 2026. The call is part of broader efforts to support downstream space applications.