Skip to main content
Journalist directory
T4 News MediaSCIENCEpackage25 August 2026

First French Woman To Spacewalk Prepares For Second Outing

This footage shows astronauts checking spacesuits aboard the International Space Station ahead of a spacewalk by the first French woman to ever do one as she prepares for her second outing.

This image is a screen grab of the video supplied titled NewsX-SpaceWalker-01.mp4: Timelapse footage shared by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot shows astronauts working with spacesuits inside the International Space Station ahead of an upcoming extravehicular activity, or spacewalk, undated.  Footage shared by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot on Aug. 23, 2026. (Clipzilla/NX)
This image is a screen grab of the video supplied titled NewsX-SpaceWalker-01.mp4: Timelapse footage shared by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot shows astronauts working with spacesuits inside the International Space Station ahead of an upcoming extravehicular activity, or spacewalk, undated. Footage shared by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot on Aug. 23, 2026. (Clipzilla/NX)© Clipzilla/NX

This footage shows astronauts checking spacesuits aboard the International Space Station ahead of a spacewalk by the first French woman to ever do one as she prepares for her second outing.

The timelapse footage was shared on 23rd August and shows the preparations aboard the station, orbiting some 400 kilometres (250 miles) above Earth.

The video shows the suits being handled and laid out inside the station as the crew work through their checks in fast motion.

Sophie Adenot, of the European Space Agency (ESA), posted the clip as she prepared for her second outing in the space of a week.

She said: "I'll be putting my spacesuit back on Tuesday for a second outing into the vacuum of space."

She added that she was fully focused on the preparations and had set aside her regular Sunday science posts for the week.

Adenot became the first French woman to walk in space on 18th August, alongside NASA astronaut Anil Menon.

The pair spent six hours and 23 minutes outside removing a failed space-to-ground antenna, but ran out of time to fit the replacement.

Disconnecting the old unit took longer than planners had allowed, leaving the installation to be finished on a follow-up excursion.

She is the second European woman to spacewalk after Italy's Samantha Cristoforetti in 2022, and the fifth French citizen to do so. She is also the first French woman to perform one.

Speaking afterwards, she said: "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."

A former French Air and Space Force officer, engineer and helicopter pilot, she was picked for ESA's 2022 astronaut class.

She arrived at the station in February on the SpaceX Crew-12 flight, for a first long-duration mission that ESA has named Epsilon.

Sunday marked her 191st day in space and, by her own count, her 2,957th orbit of the planet.

(Joe Golder/Clipzilla/NX)

Video

Timelapse footage shared by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot shows astronauts working with spacesuits inside the International Space Station ahead of an upcoming extravehicular activity, or spacewalk, undated. Footage shared by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot on Aug. 23, 2026.***Video Licence Restrictions: NONE/UNLIMITED. This video is from a professional partner – for details of our ‘professional partner’ licence see https://newsx.agency/licences/ For terms visit: https://newsx.media/terms-conditions/© Clipzilla/NX

Editorial team

  • Joseph Golderspotter · journalist · senior writer · sub editor · news editor
  • Dushko Kochoskicommission editor · copychecker editor · illustrator
  • Aloysius Fernandesvideo editor
K1VPSpace