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Adenot and Menon restore ISS communications with new antenna

8/26/2026

31 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Adenot Replaces Antenna

Sophie Adenot and Anil Menon completed a spacewalk to replace a faulty ISS antenna.
The EVA began at 12:27 GMT on 18 August 2026 and lasted six and a half hours.
During the second EVA the crew installed a new antenna, restoring high-bandwidth communications with Houston.
The sortie was the 98th U.S. spacewalk and 283rd ISS EVA, making Sophie Adenot second French woman in space.

Summary

Adenot Launches

Adenot launched to the ISS on 13 February 2026 aboard SpaceX Crew-12, starting mission ?psilon.
ESA selected Adenot in November 2022 from over 22,500 applicants for the 2022 astronaut class.
Adenot became France’s first female helicopter test pilot in 2018, logging over 3,000 flight hours on 22 types.
She was appointed a Knight of the National Order of Merit in 2022 and praised by the French National Assembly.

History

Historical Context

Alexei Leonov’s 18 March 1965 12-minute spacewalk on Voskhod 2 proved extravehicular activity possible for future stations. NASA’s Gemini 4 later that year logged a two-hour EVA, cementing sustained capability. Building on that legacy, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA engineer Anil Menon completed a six-hour ISS EVA to replace a communications antenna, confirming EVA’s role in station upkeep and upcoming lunar gateway work.

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Adenot Replaces Antenna

Sophie Adenot and Anil Menon completed a spacewalk to replace a faulty ISS antenna.
The EVA began at 12:27 GMT on 18 August 2026 and lasted six and a half hours.
During the second EVA the crew installed a new antenna, restoring high-bandwidth communications with Houston.
The sortie was the 98th U.S. spacewalk and 283rd ISS EVA, making Sophie Adenot second French woman in space.

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