WASHINGTON (AFP): Astronaut Sophie Adenot became the first French woman to perform a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS), accompanied by American astronaut Anil Menon.
The six-and-a-half-hour mission involved replacing an antenna that enables communication between the ISS and mission control in Houston, according to NASA.
“I’m out. I feel very good now,” said the 44-year-old astronaut after exiting the space station, orbiting around 400 kilometres above Earth.
Adenot became only the second European woman to conduct a spacewalk, following Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who completed a similar mission in 2022. The last French astronaut to perform a spacewalk was Thomas Pesquet.
NASA footage showed the astronauts chatting and laughing as they carried out the operation.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised the achievement, describing Adenot’s mission as a source of national pride.
Inside the ISS, station commander Jessica Meir and flight engineer Jack Hathaway assisted the mission by helping the astronauts prepare their spacesuits and operating a robotic arm used during the antenna replacement.
Ahead of the mission, Adenot wrote on social media that successful spacewalks depend on extensive preparation and rehearsals before astronauts leave the station.
The International Space Station continues to serve as a platform for scientific research and international cooperation in space exploration.