French astronaut Sophie Adenot made history on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, becoming the first French woman ever to conduct a spacewalk when she ventured outside the International Space Station (ISS) alongside American astronaut Anil Menon. The nearly six-and-a-half-hour extravehicular mission, carried out roughly 400 kilometres above Earth, was aimed at replacing a faulty Space-to-Ground antenna — known as SGANT — that the ISS uses to communicate with mission control in Houston, Texas.

"I'm out," Adenot, 44, said after exiting the station. "I feel very good now." The pair worked methodically through the complex task, using torque wrenches and screwdrivers to remove the defective antenna — a bulky piece of equipment measuring 1.8 metres and weighing around 90 kilograms — before transporting it using the station's robotic arm. While they successfully removed the faulty unit and prepared its replacement, stubborn bolts caused delays and the crew ultimately ran out of time before the new antenna could be fully installed. NASA announced that a second spacewalk is being considered for 25 August to complete the work. Inside the ISS, flight engineer Jack Hathaway and station commander Jessica Meir supported the mission by helping their colleagues suit up, monitoring their progress, and operating the robotic arm.

Adenot is only the second European woman to conduct a spacewalk, following Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who did so in 2022. For France specifically, the last astronaut to walk in space was Thomas Pesquet, who completed six spacewalks across two ISS missions. Adenot had arrived at the ISS in February 2026, becoming only the second French woman ever to reach space — the first being Claudie Haigneré, who flew in the late 1990s and early 2000s. An engineer by training and a former military test pilot, Adenot had spent the days leading up to the spacewalk methodically reviewing suits, tools, and safety procedures. "A successful spacewalk starts long before the hatch opens," she wrote on social media on Sunday.

The mission drew an outpouring of national pride in France. President Emmanuel Macron hailed Adenot on social media as the "embodiment of French pride" and "the face of all possibilities." After returning inside the station, Adenot reflected warmly on the achievement. "Yeah, what a day," she said. "My deepest gratitude goes to everyone who made this possible — pioneers who came before us, but also the incredible teams working behind the scenes today."

The milestone matters beyond national symbolism. Women remain underrepresented in the history of spacewalking, and Adenot's mission adds to a gradual broadening of who takes on the most demanding tasks in human spaceflight. With a follow-up excursion potentially just days away, her story may not yet be finished.