Sophie Adenot: First French Woman to Spacewalk

Yes. Sophie Adenot became the first French woman, and only the second European woman ever, to perform a spacewalk, on 18 August 2026. She spent 6 hours 23 minutes outside the International Space Station alongside NASA astronaut Anil Menon. She is also the 5th French person overall to have conducted a spacewalk. The only European woman to have done so before her was Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, in 2022. Sources: ESA, NASA, France 24.

Sophie Adenot is a 44-year-old French ESA astronaut, engineer, and former helicopter test pilot. She was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2022 and launched to the International Space Station in February 2026 aboard SpaceX Crew-12, becoming the second Frenchwoman ever to fly in space after Claudie Haïgneré (1996 and 2001). On 18 August 2026, she performed her first spacewalk, making history as the first French woman to walk in space. Sources: ESA, France 24.

Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Anil Menon conducted the 282nd spacewalk in ISS history to service a failed communications antenna used to relay data between the station and mission control in Houston. The pair successfully removed the malfunctioning hardware but ran out of time during the 6-hour 23-minute EVA to install its replacement; a follow-up EVA will be needed to complete the task. Sources: NASA, Space.com.

The spacewalk lasted 6 hours and 23 minutes. It began at 8:29 a.m. EDT on 18 August 2026 when Adenot and Anil Menon switched their spacesuits to battery power, and concluded at 2:52 p.m. EDT when the Quest airlock was repressurised. It was the 282nd spacewalk conducted in support of ISS assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. Sources: NASA.

Sophie Adenot conducted her spacewalk with NASA astronaut Anil Menon, who was acting as the crew member designated EV1 (lead spacewalker) for the 18 August 2026 EVA. Both are part of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission aboard the ISS. Sources: NASA.

No. Sophie Adenot is the second French woman in space (after Claudie Haïgneré, who flew in 1996 and 2001) and the 10th French citizen overall to reach space. However, she is the first French woman, and the 5th French person, to perform a spacewalk outside the ISS. Sources: ESA.

Sophie Adenot is aboard the ISS as part of SpaceX Crew-12, which launched in February 2026. She is serving as a flight engineer for an extended ISS mission alongside NASA, JAXA, and partner agency astronauts. Sources: ESA, NASA.

The antenna had failed due to equipment degradation and was no longer reliably relaying communications between the ISS and NASA's mission control in Houston. Replacing it is a routine but critical maintenance task to keep the station's communication systems redundant. The old antenna was successfully removed during the 18 August 2026 EVA; the new unit will be installed in a follow-up spacewalk. Sources: NASA, Space.com.