One week after her historic first excursion outside the International Space Station, French astronaut Sophie Adenot began a second spacewalk on Tuesday, August 25, to finish replacing a faulty antenna. The mission marks another milestone for Adenot, who recently became the first French woman to walk in the vacuum of space.
Official Start and Early Moments of the Spacewalk
The American space agency NASA confirmed the official start of the mission at 2:27 p.m. Paris time. Approximately twenty minutes later, Adenot emerged from the space station into the darkness of orbital night, joining her American teammate Anil Menon outside the ISS.
The spacewalk is expected to last about six and a half hours. During this time, the two astronauts must complete the replacement of an antenna that enables the ISS to communicate with mission control in Houston, Texas.
Building on a Historic First
On August 18, Adenot performed her first extravehicular activity (EVA) alongside Menon, becoming the first French woman to “walk” in the vacuum of space. Before her, only four French astronauts had completed such excursions at an altitude of 400 kilometers above Earth.
“You could probably hear it in my voice on the radio, but I L-O-V-E-D working in the vacuum of space. It’s a true adventure within an adventure, made even more beautiful because it’s experienced as a team,” Adenot wrote on social media.
Overcoming Unexpected Challenges
During their first spacewalk last week, Adenot and Menon spent more than six hours outside the ISS dismantling a faulty antenna known as the Space-to-Ground (SGANT) antenna. This equipment is used to transmit data and enable high-speed communications between mission control in Houston and the space station.
However, the astronauts were delayed by stubborn bolts and connectors and did not have enough time to install the replacement antenna as originally planned.
“Handymen, mechanics, and everyone who works in manual trades know this: there is sometimes a gap between theory and practice,” Adenot reflected, addressing sexist comments that surfaced on social media regarding the difficulties.
NASA emphasized that this scenario had been “anticipated” and praised the astronauts’ “great work,” congratulating them on their “perseverance and resilience” in the face of challenges.
Tuesday’s Mission Objectives
During Tuesday’s spacewalk, Adenot and Menon were tasked with retrieving the new antenna from its storage platform and installing it. They would then move the faulty antenna, which had been temporarily secured after its removal the previous week, to its storage location.
If time permits, the astronauts will also attempt to replace a device called a “retroreflector” on the exterior of the station. This final operation could also be completed during another maintenance spacewalk scheduled for September 1, according to NASA.
As with their first mission, Adenot and Menon were assisted from inside the ISS by crewmates Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, who operated the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
