Second spacewalk completed for Sophie Adenot
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot completed her second spacewalk on 25 August, alongside NASA’s Anil Menon, installing a spare Space-to-Ground Antenna on the ISS after overcoming delayed progress from earlier attempts.
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Anil Menon concluded US EVA-98 at 20:57 CEST on 25 August, marking Adenot’s second spacewalk and the 32nd conducted by a European astronaut. The six-hour, 30-minute extravehicular activity focused on installing and activating a spare Space-to-Ground Antenna (SGANT), work that had been partially completed on 18 August but delayed by stuck bolts and connectors on the failed antenna.
The astronauts began the spacewalk at 14:27 CEST after exiting the Quest airlock, retrieving a foot restraint and installing it on Canadarm2, operated by NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway from inside the Station. Anil Menon rode the robotic arm to External Platform 3 to retrieve the spare antenna, while Adenot moved independently along the Station’s exterior to reach the Z1 truss, where the installation was completed.
At the Z1 truss, Adenot cleaned and lubricated bolt inserts before the spare antenna was mounted on the boom. The duo secured the antenna, completed electrical connections, removed gimbal locks to enable rotation, and installed a heat shield. Adenot assisted Menon in detaching from the portable foot restraint before both astronauts returned to the airlock.
Adenot has now spent 12 hours and 53 minutes spacewalking across two EVAs. The 283rd spacewalk in support of the International Space Station’s assembly, maintenance, and upgrades, this mission reinforces ongoing efforts to sustain and upgrade the orbital laboratory’s systems.