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Sophie Adenot back in France after 237 days aboard the International Space Station
Back on Earth since 8 October 2026, the French ESA astronaut is holding her first in-person press conference in Paris on 2 November. A look back at the εpsilon mission.
By Rédaction··1 min read
Nearly eight months in orbit
Sophie Adenot, the second French woman to fly in space after Claudie Haigneré, lifted off on 13 February 2026 from Cape Canaveral (Florida) aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule as part of the Crew-12 mission. She flew with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway and Russian cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev.
Her mission, named εpsilon, lasted 237 days, 5 hours and 18 minutes according to ESA. The crew splashed down on 8 October 2026; the astronaut then travelled to Cologne (Germany), home of the European Astronaut Centre, on 10 October.
What she did on board
According to the European Space Agency, Sophie Adenot worked on 35 European experiments, spending around 218 hours on them. She completed all the experiments assigned by CNES for εpsilon and all those assigned to her by ESA.
Readapting to gravity
After a long stay in weightlessness, the body must readjust to gravity: balance, muscles and bones are put under strain. The astronaut spent two to three weeks at the DLR :envihab facility in Cologne, where she also provided medical data to researchers, before continuing her rehabilitation with ESA's training team.
A press conference in Paris
ESA scheduled the astronaut's first in-person press conference since her return for Monday 2 November 2026 at 11:30 CET, at its Paris headquarters.
Key points
- Launch on 13 February 2026, splashdown on 8 October 2026.
- 237 days in space, 35 European experiments.
- First press conference in France on 2 November 2026 at ESA headquarters.
Origin and rationale
Origin: official European Space Agency (ESA) press releases. Why this story: the astronaut's first press conference in France, on 2 November 2026. Written by aeronautique.com, sources accessed on 2 November 2026.
Sources
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