Adenot set for second spacewalk as ISS antenna replacement proceeds
French astronaut Sophie Adenot is scheduled to conduct a six-and-a-half-hour extravehicular activity on Tuesday, marking a rapid operational tempo for the International Space Station crew just one week after her historic first spacewalk.
French astronaut Sophie Adenot is preparing to venture outside the International Space Station (ISS) again on Tuesday, a move that underscores the operational intensity of her current mission. The scheduled extravehicular activity (EVA) will take place approximately one week after her first spacewalk, which established a new milestone for French space history.
The primary objective of the upcoming mission is the replacement of one of the station’s communication antennas. This technical upgrade is critical for maintaining the station’s connectivity infrastructure. The work is scheduled to commence at 12:35 GMT (14:35 Paris time) and is expected to last for approximately six and a half hours.
Adenot will be accompanied by American astronaut Anil Menon during the spacewalk. The pair are part of a four-person team currently undertaking a nine-month mission aboard the ISS. According to France 24, the astronauts spent the weekend testing their spacesuits and checking equipment, as shown in a video posted on Adenot’s Instagram account on Sunday.
The rapid succession of spacewalks highlights the efficiency of the crew’s operations. Adenot, 44, became the first French woman to perform an EVA on 18 August, working 400 kilometres above Earth. Prior to her first spacewalk, only four French individuals had ventured beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
Adenot’s background as an engineer and former test pilot has been central to her role in these missions. She became the second Frenchwoman in history to fly into space in February 2026, following Claudie Haigneré. Her recent activities also serve as a continuation of the legacy established by Thomas Pesquet, the last French person to walk in space, who completed six spacewalks over two stays aboard the station.
In a social media post following her first EVA, Adenot described the experience as a “true adventure within an adventure,” emphasising the collaborative nature of the work. She noted that the experience was “made all the more beautiful because it is experienced as a team,” while expressing gratitude to the pioneers and support teams who made the mission possible.
