French astronaut Sophie Adenot became the first French citizen to perform a spacewalk on Tuesday [1].
The achievement marks a historic milestone for France's space program and expands the diversity of personnel capable of performing complex external maintenance on the International Space Station (ISS).
Adenot, 44 [4], exited the station at 14:35 UTC [3]. She was accompanied by U.S. astronaut Anil Menon [6]. The pair performed an extravehicular activity (EVA) to replace a malfunctioning Space-to-Ground communication antenna [2].
"Je suis dehors," Adenot said [1].
This mission represents the 282nd EVA conducted for the assembly, maintenance, and modernization of the ISS [5]. An ESA spokesperson said the operation was officially underway as part of the station's ongoing upkeep [5].
Adenot is the second European woman to complete such a spacewalk, following Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti [7]. Her current mission on the ISS began in mid-February 2026 [5].
The operation required precise coordination between the crew and ground control to ensure the antenna was replaced without compromising the station's communication arrays. The successful exit validates the training and readiness of the French astronaut corps for high-risk external missions.
“"Je suis dehors," Adenot said”
Adenot's spacewalk signals a shift in the European Space Agency's operational capabilities, moving beyond purely scientific research inside the station to technical mastery of external repairs. By becoming only the second European woman to conduct an EVA, she establishes a precedent for future French participation in deep-space missions and lunar gateway maintenance.
