Sophie Adenot set for first Frenchwoman ISS spacewalk

French astronaut Sophie Adenot is set to become the first French woman to conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, accompanied by American astronaut Anil Menon.

NASA said the spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 1235 GMT and last about six and a half hours. The goal is to replace a space-to-ground antenna on the orbital complex.

Adenot, 44, would become the second European woman to carry out a spacewalk, after Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti in 2022. Adenot said on X that the antenna is important for high-speed communications and data transmission between the ISS and mission control in Houston.

NASA said flight engineer Jack Hathaway and station commander Jessica Meir will monitor the spacewalkers and operate a robotic arm from inside the ISS.

Adenot, an engineer and former test pilot, became in February the second Frenchwoman to fly into space, after Claudie Haignere. The last French person to walk in space was Thomas Pesquet, who did so six times over two stays aboard the ISS.