French Astronaut Completes 'Miracle' ISS Repair Mission

Sophie Adenot just pulled off what she calls a miracle 400 kilometers above our planet.

The French astronaut spoke exclusively with FRANCE 24 and RFI from the International Space Station one day after completing a challenging repair mission. Along with American crewmate Anil Menon, she spent six and a half hours installing a new communications antenna that keeps the ISS connected to mission control in Houston.

Getting there wasn't easy. During her first spacewalk in early August, stubborn bolts and connectors stopped the team from finishing the job. "We had every mechanical problem possible," Adenot explained from orbit.

That first outing marked another milestone: Adenot became the first French woman ever to perform a spacewalk. She remembers the airlock opening to reveal the vastness of space, feeling "an intense joy" mixed with healthy "apprehension."

The pressure mounted for the second attempt on August 25. "It's actually a miracle that it only took two tries and not more," she said, clearly relieved the antenna now works perfectly.

Why This Inspires

Adenot's view from space has given her an unexpected gift: a front-row seat to our changing planet. She watched France transform from green in February to grey and yellow by summer, like fields of cut wheat under intense heat.

She's seen smoke clouds drifting across continents from wildfires. Lakes have shrunk before her eyes. The Aral Sea is disappearing "very quickly," and islands that should be underwater now poke through "just a thin layer of water."

"Climate change and hot, dry summers are very visible. It's blatant," she said simply.

The experience has changed how Adenot sees our world. "This is a transformational experience," she explained. "The way you see our world completely changes."

She's counting down about a month until she returns home, eager to share her orbital perspective with others. Her hope? To inspire more people to pursue this work and see Earth the way she has.

The mission has been nearly flawless. Almost all planned scientific experiments are complete. "We've almost ticked all the boxes," Adenot said with satisfaction.

NASA has already scheduled a third spacewalk before September 1, pairing Adenot with Swedish-American crewmate Jessica Meir for another adventure we can all follow from home.