Meet ESA Astronaut Sophie Adenot, the First French Woman to Walk in Space
European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot has officially made history as the first French woman to walk in space. During U.S. Spacewalk 97 outside the International Space Station, Adenot spent over six hours performing maintenance, marking a major milestone for European spaceflight.
Astronaut Sophie Adenot reached a major career milestone on August 18th 2026. She stepped outside the International Space Station (ISS) and became the first French woman to walk in space.
Adenot is now the second female astronaut from Europe to perform an extravehicular activity. She worked alongside NASA astronaut Anil Menon for 6 hours and 23 minutes outside the station during US Spacewalk 97.
Anyone asking who Sophie Adenot is will find a story built on years of test piloting military helicopters and earning top engineering degrees before joining the European Space Agency (ESA).
How Sophie Adenot became the First French Women to Walk in Space
The main goal of the spacewalk was simple, repair and upgrade the communication gear of spacestation. Adenot worked near the station's central truss to swap out an old antenna unit that handles high speed data transmission back to Earth.
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Spacewalk Code: U.S. Spacewalk 97
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Time Outside: 6 hours, 23 minutes
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Partner: NASA Astronaut Anil Menon
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Main Task: Replacing an aging Space to Ground antenna
Tricky wiring connections prevented the team from finishing the antenna swap before their time ran out. Mission control safely ended the spacewalk on schedule and will complete the remaining task on a later trip.
Who is Sophie Adenot beyond the First Woman Spacewalker from France?
Adenot was born in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire in France in 1982. Long before stepping into an ESA spacesuit she spent her career in cockpit design and military aviation.
| Background | Biographical Facts |
| Education | Engineering degrees from ISAE-SUPAERO and MIT |
| Military Rank | Lieutenant Colonel in the French Air and Space Force |
| Flight Record | France’s first female helicopter test pilot; over 3000 flight hours |
| Astronaut Selection | Selected in the 2022 ESA astronaut class |
Her deep experience with high risk test flights made her a natural fit for complex spacewalk operations.
What Her Mission Means for European Women in Space
Adenot builds on the work of Claudie Haigneré who became the first French woman to visit space in 1996 and Samantha Cristoforetti who was first female spacewalker from Europe.
Her work outside the ISS shows Europe’s growing role in international space missions, proving how space agencies share the heavy workload of keeping aging orbital hardware running.
🔓✨ The hatch is open!@Soph_Astro stepped outside the International @Space_Station for the first time.
— Human Spaceflight (@esaspaceflight) August 18, 2026
This is the 31st spacewalk by a European astronaut, the first for @esa astronaut Sophie Adenot, and the first by a French woman astronaut. 👩🚀🎉 pic.twitter.com/kIXWO5PALF
Who was the First Woman to Walk in Space?
Adenot made history for France but the title of the first woman to walk in space belongs to Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya.
Savitskaya stepped outside the Salyut 7 space station on July 25th 1984, and spent 3 hours and 35 minutes testing tools and welding metals in orbit.
Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman a few months later in October 1984 to complete a spacewalk. Since then dozens of women have conducted extravehicular activities, paving the way for Adenot’s work on the ISS.
Harshita Singh is an education and general knowledge journalist with over 5 years of experience in educational writing. Specializing in US affairs and GK, Harshita has a track record of breaking down intricate geopolitical and historical subjects into clear, digestible insights for learners. Her strong background in text analysis, coupled with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English from the University of Delhi, helps her produce authoritative, thoroughly researched content that empowers readers to engage confidently with global current affairs. For inquiries or academic insights, you can reach out to her directly at harshita.singh@jagrannewmedia.com.
