Anil Menon, Sophie Adenot Make History During ISS Spacewalk Despite Antenna Setback

NASA astronauts Anil Menon and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot completed a demanding International Space Station (ISS) spacewalk on August 18, combining essential maintenance with major milestones in human spaceflight.

The pair spent 6 hours and 23 minutes outside the station during the 282nd spacewalk supporting ISS assembly, maintenance and upgrades. Their primary objective was to remove a failed Space-to-Ground antenna and install a spare. The antenna is a critical communications link, enabling high-speed transmission of data between the ISS, NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites and ground control, including Mission Control in Houston.

The astronauts successfully removed the faulty antenna, but technical difficulties consumed more time than expected. Tight power and data connectors, locking pins in the antenna’s gimbal assembly and bolts securing it to the boom proved difficult to release. As a result, mission control determined there was insufficient time to retrieve and install the replacement.

The ISS remains connected through its second fully functional Space-to-Ground antenna, allowing high-data-rate communications while NASA prepares for the remaining work. The replacement is expected to be installed during a future spacewalk, currently planned for August 25.

For Menon, the mission marked his second spacewalk. His first came earlier in August, when he and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir spent 6 hours and 27 minutes outside preparing part of the station’s power system for a future roll-out solar array.

For Adenot, the EVA was historic. The ESA astronaut became the first French woman to conduct a spacewalk, adding a landmark achievement to France’s human-spaceflight record. She is also only the second European woman to perform an EVA, following Italy’s Samantha Cristoforetti in 2022.

The mission highlights how routine-looking ISS repairs can involve complex mechanical work, strict time limits and careful contingency planning. Despite the incomplete antenna replacement, Menon and Adenot completed the critical removal safely, leaving NASA to finish the installation on another carefully prepared EVA.