The Sophie Adenot spacewalk made history on Tuesday as the 44-year-old became the first Frenchwoman to venture outside the International Space Station.
Adenot completed the nearly six-and-a-half-hour mission with American astronaut Anil Menon. NASA said they worked on an antenna used to communicate with mission control in Houston.
The astronauts successfully removed the faulty antenna. However, time limits prevented them from installing the replacement, NASA said.
Adenot became the second European woman to conduct a spacewalk. Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti achieved the milestone in 2022.
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Flight engineer Jack Hathaway and station commander Jessica Meir remained inside the ISS. They monitored the operation and supported the crew during the antenna work. French President Emmanuel Macron praised the mission as a source of French pride.
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Adenot is an engineer and former test pilot. She became the second Frenchwoman to travel to space in February, following Claudie Haigneré.
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet was the previous French person to walk in space. He completed six spacewalks during two stays aboard the ISS.
