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First modification: 02/12/2026 - 19:35
Sophie Adenot is about to fulfill her lifelong dream: becoming the second Frenchwoman to travel to space. His mission, a nine-month adventure aboard the International Space Station (ISS), represents the culmination of an exceptional career path. In this report we share the demanding physical, mental and academic preparation that has led her to achieve her space dream.
Sophie Adenot's fascination with space began at a very young age. She was first inspired by her grandfather, a former aircraft mechanic in the French Air Force, and later by Claudie Haigneré, the first French woman to become an astronaut.
"The day Claudie took off, I thought: there is a woman astronaut. It's possible," Adenot recalls, watching Haigneré's mission to the Mir space station live on television in 1996.
Read alsoThe Frenchwoman Sophie Adenot, a life dreaming of space
An engineer by profession, Adenot graduated from the French National Institute of Aeronautics and Space in Toulouse, as well as the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. He began his professional career at Airbus before joining the French Air Force at the age of 23. In 2019, she made history by becoming France's first female helicopter test pilot.
After a failed attempt in 2008, Adenot applied again in 2021 to the European Space Agency's astronaut selection program. On this occasion, she was chosen as one of five candidates out of a total of 22,500.
Intensive training
He then embarked on nearly three years of rigorous training throughout Germany, France, the United States and Japan. That process included spacewalk drills in large pools, virtual reality exercises and survival training. His ability to remain calm under pressure has been one of his greatest strengths.
"She is very determined, able to maintain concentration in critical situations, fundamentally empathetic and deeply motivated, with a clear objective of achieving her goal," says Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Human Exploration and Robotics at the European Space Agency.
The ISS, a flying laboratory
On board the ISS, Adenot will face a wide range of scientific and technical challenges. During the mission, it will perform about 200 experiments, including several focused on medical ultrasound in space.
The station will also be a magical place. "Aboard the ISS, you orbit the Earth every 90 minutes, sixteen times a day, and you see a sunrise each time. They are magical moments," says Haigneré.
Like her predecessor, Adenot wants to make sure she holds on to the sense of wonder she had as a child, now that her life's dream is finally coming true.
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