France's Sophie Adenot returns to the void for second spacewalk in a week

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot performs a spacewalk to replace a space-to-ground antenna, assisted by NASA astronaut Anil Menon, outside the ISS on 18 August 2026. via REUTERS - NASA

French astronaut Sophie Adenot on Tuesday stepped outside the International Space Station (ISS) for the second time, a week after she became the first French woman to perform a spacewalk. Adenot and US astronaut Anil Menon are due to finish replacing a faulty antenna on the ISS after running out of time during their first spacewalk on 18 August.

"What a day," Adenot said when she returned to the ISS last Tuesday. "My deepest gratitude goes to everyone who made this possible, pioneers who came before us, but also the incredible teams working behind the scenes today."