Sophie Adenot to Carry Out Another Spacewalk on August 25 to Complete ISS Antenna Replacement

French astronaut Sophie Adenot is preparing to return outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, August 25, alongside NASA astronaut Anil Menon. The pair will continue an operation to replace an antenna used for communications between the station and mission control on Earth.

The upcoming spacewalk follows an earlier excursion on August 18, during which Adenot and Menon successfully removed a faulty Space-to-Ground communications antenna. However, they were unable to complete the installation of its replacement because the operation took longer than expected.

A second spacewalk to complete the work

During the first spacewalk, the astronauts encountered difficulties while disconnecting electrical connectors and removing bolts from the old antenna.

Although the removal was successfully completed, the remaining time was not sufficient to install the new equipment. NASA had anticipated that the dismantling process could require additional time.

The astronauts will therefore return to the exterior of the ISS on August 25 to continue the installation work.

An antenna essential to ISS communications

The Space-to-Ground antenna plays an important role in communications between the International Space Station and NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas.

The system supports the transmission of communications and high-speed data between the orbiting laboratory and teams on Earth. Completing its replacement is therefore an important part of maintaining the station's communications infrastructure.

Another milestone for Sophie Adenot

The new spacewalk comes just days after a major milestone in Sophie Adenot's career.

On August 18, the French astronaut took part in her first spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The operation marked a significant achievement for Adenot and for European human spaceflight.

She will now return outside the station with Anil Menon on August 25 to continue the technical work left unfinished during the previous excursion.

If the operation proceeds as planned, the astronauts will complete the installation of the new communications antenna and bring the maintenance task to an end.

Source: NASA / ESA