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French astronaut Sophie Adenot prepares for second space station spacewalk

Adenot and NASA astronaut Anil Menon are scheduled to venture outside the ISS to replace a communication antenna.

The short version

  • French astronaut Sophie Adenot is set to complete her second extravehicular activity at the International Space Station on Tuesday.
  • Adenot and American crewmate Anil Menon are tasked with replacing a space station communication antenna during a planned six-and-a-half-hour excursion.
  • The spacewalk follows Adenot's August 18 excursion, which made her the first French woman to perform a spacewalk.

Key facts

  • Sophie Adenot and Anil Menon prepared their spacesuits and equipment over the weekend for an extravehicular activity scheduled to start at 12:35 GMT on Tuesday.[France 24]
  • The primary objective of the six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk is to replace one of the International Space Station's communication antennas.[France 24]
  • Adenot became the first French woman to perform a spacewalk during her initial excursion on August 18.[France 24]
  • Adenot is a former test pilot and engineer currently serving on a nine-month mission aboard the space station.[France 24]

What remains uncertain

  • The exact completion time and total duration of the extravehicular activity depend on operational factors during the maintenance task.[France 24]

Sources