WASHINGTON, United States — French President Emmanuel Macron hailed astronaut Sophie Adenot’s historic spacewalk as a moment of “French pride” after she became the first Frenchwoman to venture outside the International Space Station (ISS).
Adenot, 44, spent nearly six and a half hours outside the ISS with American astronaut Anil Menon, NASA said.
The former test pilot and engineer became the second European woman to conduct a spacewalk after Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who completed one in 2022.
Macron led tributes from French political leaders following Adenot’s achievement, which marked another milestone for France’s space program.
During the spacewalk, Adenot and Menon were tasked with replacing an antenna used by the ISS to communicate with mission control in Houston. They successfully removed the faulty antenna but could not install its replacement because they ran out of time, NASA said.
“I’m out,” Adenot said after exiting the station, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) above Earth. “I feel very good now.”
Adenot had spent several days preparing for the operation, reviewing spacesuit procedures, tools and safety protocols.
“A successful (space walk) starts long before the hatch opens,” she said in a post on X before the mission. “That’s where my focus has been these past few days: rehearsing, preparing and focusing.”
Adenot became the second Frenchwoman to travel into space in February, following Claudie Haignere, who became France’s first woman in space.
Thomas Pesquet remains the last French astronaut to conduct a spacewalk. He completed six spacewalks during two missions aboard the ISS.