Sophie Adenot became the first French female astronaut to take part in a spacewalk outside the International Space Station, joined by American astronaut Anil Menon.
The six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk was planned to replace an antenna that helps the ISS communicate with mission control in Houston, according to NASA.
“I’m out,” 44-year-old Adenot said after leaving the ISS, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) above Earth.
Adenot became the second European woman to conduct a spacewalk after Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who completed one in 2022.
In the days leading up to the mission, Adenot prepared by reviewing the spacesuits, tools and safety procedures she would need to follow outside the space station.
“A successful (spacewalk) starts long before the hatch opens,” Adenot said on X on Sunday, adding that she had spent the previous days rehearsing, preparing and focusing on the mission.
During the spacewalk, Adenot and Menon were scheduled to first remove the old antenna before retrieving and installing its replacement.
NASA said flight engineer Jack Hathaway and station commander Jessica Meir would monitor the astronauts and operate a robotic arm from inside the ISS.
Adenot previously said that spacewalks are a team effort, noting that astronauts inside the station also play an important role in supporting those working outside.
An engineer by training and a former test pilot, Adenot became the second Frenchwoman to travel into space in February, following space pioneer Claudie Haignere.
The last French person to walk in space was Thomas Pesquet, who did so six times over two stays aboard the ISS.
