European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot has completed a second spacewalk outside the International Space Station, this time successfully installing a replacement communications antenna. The mission, which began at 12:27 GMT, saw Adenot and NASA astronaut Anil Menon spend six and a half hours in the vacuum of space, finishing the job they had started on 18 August.
That earlier outing, which made Adenot the first French woman to perform a spacewalk, had been cut short after the pair struggled with stubborn bolts and connectors while trying to remove the faulty Space-to-Ground Antenna, known as SGANT. They managed to detach the old unit but ran out of time to fit the new one.
This time, riding on the Canadarm2 robotic arm, the two astronauts installed and connected the replacement antenna. The equipment is vital for communications between the ISS and NASA's control centre in Houston, particularly for high-bandwidth data transmission.
A milestone for European spaceflight
The successful completion marks a significant achievement for Adenot, who is part of the ESA astronaut corps. Her first spacewalk on 18 August was already historic, and this follow-up demonstrates her growing experience in complex extravehicular activities. The mission also underscores the continued collaboration between ESA and NASA, with European astronauts playing key roles in ISS maintenance.
According to NASA, this was the 98th US spacewalk and the 283rd conducted for the assembly, maintenance, or modernisation of the ISS. The station has been continuously inhabited since 2000, and such maintenance tasks are essential to keep it operational.
The antenna replacement will improve the reliability of communications, ensuring that data from experiments and daily operations can be transmitted without interruption. For Adenot, the mission adds to her growing list of accomplishments, and she is expected to take on more responsibilities in future missions.
European space enthusiasts will be watching her career closely, especially as ESA plans new missions to the Moon and beyond. Adenot's performance on this spacewalk bodes well for her future roles, and she has already inspired a new generation of scientists and engineers across the continent.
For more on Adenot's previous spacewalk, see her earlier mission details. And for other European news, check our latest morning briefing.
