Space: Second spacewalk for French astronaut Sophie Adenot

French astronaut Sophie Adenot embarked on her second extravehicular activity outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, marking a follow‑up to her historic first spacewalk a week earlier. The six‑and‑a‑half‑hour EVA, conducted from the ISS’s Russian segment, is focused on replacing a communications antenna, a task that will be captured in time‑lapse imagery released by the mission’s public affairs team.

Adenot’s second sortie underscores the growing role of European astronauts in maintaining and upgrading the orbiting laboratory, particularly as the station prepares for upcoming hardware upgrades and the eventual transition to commercial platforms. The antenna replacement is a routine but essential maintenance operation that ensures reliable data transmission between the ISS and ground stations, supporting scientific experiments and crew communications. This work also demonstrates the European Space Agency’s continued contribution to the station’s long‑term sustainability.

The spacewalk proceeds without incident, and its successful completion will add to Adenot’s personal milestones while reinforcing international cooperation aboard the ISS. The imagery and updates from the EVA will be used for public outreach and training purposes, highlighting the technical proficiency of ESA astronauts and informing future missions that may rely on similar maintenance tasks.

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