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Published on: 02/11/2026 - 4:06 p.m.

Sophie Adenot, 43, will realize her lifelong dream by becoming the second French woman to go into space. A nine-month adventure aboard the International Space Station (ISS) which marks the culmination of an exceptional journey.

Since her childhood, Sophie Adenot has dreamed of going into space. She was first inspired by her grandfather, a former mechanic in the Air Force, then by Claudie Haigneré, the first French woman to become an astronaut. "The day Claudie took off, I said to myself: 'That's it, there is a woman astronaut, it's possible!'", Sophie Adenot tells us about Claudie Haigneré's flight in 1996 to the Mir station, which she followed with fascination on television.

An exceptional journey

An engineer by training, graduated from ISAE Supaero, the Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space in Toulouse, and from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston (United States), Sophie Adenot began her career at Airbus, before joining the air force at the age of 23. In 2019, she became the first female helicopter test pilot in France.

After a first unsuccessful attempt in 2008, Sophie Adenot is participating again in 2021 in the selection of astronauts for the European Space Agency (ESA). This time, she is one of five candidates selected from among the 22,500 applicants.

Intense preparation

Then began intensive training lasting almost three years, provided between Germany, France, the United States and even Japan. Simulations of extra-vehicular outings in swimming pools, virtual reality training, survival courses, Sophie Adenot's ability to remain calm in extreme situations and to work under pressure is a major asset. “She is very determined, she knows how to make sense of things in critical situations, she is fundamentally empathetic and motivated, determined to achieve the objective,” underlines Daniel Neuenschwander, director of human and robotic exploration at ESA.

The ISS: a flying laboratory

On board the ISS, Sophie Adenot will face scientific and technical challenges. It will carry out around 200 experiments, including some in the field of spatial ultrasound.

The station will also be a place of wonder. “On board the ISS, we orbit the Earth in 90 minutes, so sixteen times a day, we see a sunrise. These are magical moments,” confides Claudie Haigneré, who stayed on the International Space Station in 2001.

Sophie Adenot, too, wants to keep the essential in mind: the wonder of a childhood dream come true.

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