French ESA astronaut completes landmark ISS spacewalk with NASA’s Anil Menon, marking a historic milestone for France and European space exploration.
By Golden Page News | 19 August 2026
PARIS/WASHINGTON — French astronaut Sophie Adenot has made history as the first French woman to venture outside the International Space Station (ISS), completing a landmark spacewalk alongside NASA astronaut Anil Menon.
Adenot and Menon began their spacewalk on Tuesday, 18 August, as part of a mission to replace a space-to-ground communications antenna on the orbiting laboratory. The antenna is part of the ISS communications system used to transmit high-speed data and voice communications between the station and Mission Control in Houston. (NASA)
The astronauts spent six hours and 23 minutes outside the station, completing the removal of the failed antenna before returning to the ISS. However, the planned installation of the replacement antenna could not be completed within the available time. NASA reported that dealing with tight power and data cables and other mechanical connections took longer than expected. 
Despite the incomplete antenna replacement, the mission marked a historic achievement for France and European space exploration.
The European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed that the outing was Adenot’s first spacewalk and the first spacewalk ever conducted by a French woman. She is also only the second European woman to perform a spacewalk, following Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who made history during a spacewalk in 2022.
Adenot, an ESA astronaut, joined the ISS as part of the Epsilon mission earlier this year. Her achievement adds another chapter to France’s history in human spaceflight, following pioneering French astronauts including Jean-Loup Chrétien, Philippe Perrin and Thomas Pesquet.
For Adenot, the milestone also represents a significant step in the growing participation of women in some of the most technically demanding operations in space.
The successful completion of the spacewalk demonstrates the continuing importance of international cooperation aboard the ISS, where astronauts from NASA, ESA and other partner agencies work together on scientific research, maintenance and the long-term operation of the orbital laboratory.
While the replacement antenna remains to be installed, Adenot’s historic first has already secured her place in French spaceflight history.
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