ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot returns from her first mission to the International Space Station

Sophie Adenot’s εpsilon mission combined research, maintenance, technology testing and spacewalks aboard the International Space Station. She worked across European experiments in health, biology, materials science, fluid physics, radiation physics and fundamental science. The mission mattered because it advanced European capabilities while supporting a wider international programme in orbit.

Adenot spent 218 hours on 35 European payloads and about 25 hours maintaining or upgrading ESA systems in Columbus. She also tested the E4D exercise device and metal 3D printing. She completed three spacewalks, totaling 19 hours and 42 minutes outside the Station.

Adenot and her crewmates undocked on 7 October after 237 days in space. Their return journey lasted 27 hours and 29 minutes, ending with splashdown on 8 October. After medical checks, flights and helicopter transfers, Adenot arrived at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne on 10 October. She will now recover and undergo follow-up activities.

The International Space Station, or ISS, is a large research facility orbiting Earth. Astronauts live and work there while studying conditions that cannot be reproduced easily on the ground. The article describes it as an orbiting laboratory and highlights its role in health research, materials science, biology, fluid physics, radiation physics and fundamental science.

Different countries cooperate by sending astronauts, experiments, equipment and specialist knowledge. During Expedition 74 and 75, Adenot worked on experiments and payloads for ISS partners. She also used Columbus, Europe’s microgravity research facility, and completed experiments assigned by ESA and CNES. This arrangement lets teams share the Station and its limited research time.

The cooperation also supports future exploration. Adenot tested exercise technology and in-orbit metal 3D printing while contributing to an international research programme. The article presents missions like εpsilon as international efforts involving thousands of people. That shared approach helps Europe build experience and maintain a role in exploration.

Adenot’s εpsilon mission lasted 237 days, 5 hours and 18 minutes from launch to her return. That made it the longest single spaceflight by a European astronaut, exceeding Luca Parmitano’s previous record by more than 35 days. The duration gave Adenot time to complete a large programme of research, maintenance and exploration technology tests.

She launched on 13 February 2026 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. During the mission, she worked about 218 hours on 35 European payloads and roughly 25 hours on ESA systems in Columbus. Crew-12 also stayed in orbit longer than any earlier SpaceX Dragon mission, surpassing Crew-8’s previous record of 235 days.

These records show the scale of the mission, not simply its length. Adenot completed all assigned ESA experiments and all εpsilon-specific CNES experiments. She also performed three spacewalks and supported research for ISS partners. The experience adds European knowledge for future exploration missions.

An extra-vehicular activity, or EVA, is a spacewalk: an astronaut leaves the pressurised spacecraft or station to work outside in a spacesuit. The suit provides life support while the astronaut operates tools, installs equipment or performs maintenance. The article identifies EVAs as a major part of Adenot’s εpsilon mission.

Adenot completed three spacewalks within 14 days. Altogether, she spent 19 hours and 42 minutes working outside the International Space Station. Her tasks formed part of the Station’s wider maintenance, research and technology programme. The article does not list each individual task performed during those EVAs.

Her achievement has historic significance. She became the second European woman, after ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, to conduct an EVA. She was also the first French woman to do so. Alongside her spacewalks, Adenot completed European experiments and tested technologies for future exploration, including metal 3D printing.

Microgravity removes most of the weight-bearing load that bodies experience on Earth. Over time, muscles and bones can weaken, balance systems can adapt to weightlessness, and body fluids shift toward the upper body. These effects can make standing and moving difficult after landing. These physiological details are established spaceflight knowledge; the article focuses on Adenot’s recovery plan.

After returning, Adenot will spend the next two to three weeks adjusting to Earth’s gravity and undergoing data collections at :envihab. The German Aerospace Center facility is next to ESA’s European Astronaut Centre. DLR teams provide operational, medical and scientific expertise for astronauts’ return, recovery and readaptation.

Adenot will then continue rehabilitation and follow-up activities with the EAC training team. Her recovery is therefore part of the mission, not an afterthought. Medical observations also help experts understand how long-duration spaceflight affects astronauts and how future crews can be supported after exploration missions.

The space station provides a long-duration microgravity laboratory. Earth’s gravity normally makes fluids settle, flames and particles behave in familiar ways, and biological systems develop under constant weight. In orbit, researchers can isolate or reduce those effects. The article lists research in health, materials science, biology, fluid physics, radiation physics and fundamental science.

Adenot worked on 35 European payloads and helped test in-orbit metal 3D printing. Printing metal in space could support future missions by exploring how equipment might be produced away from Earth, although the article does not describe the test results. She also tested E4D, a new European exercise device, and supported commercial research payloads.

The Station makes these investigations possible over extended periods with astronauts maintaining experiments and systems. Adenot completed all assigned ESA experiments and all εpsilon-specific CNES experiments. Such work builds knowledge, technology and operational experience for future exploration, while also contributing to the international research programme aboard the ISS.

An orbiting space station is always being pulled toward Earth by gravity. It does not fall straight down because it also travels sideways at very high speed. As it drops, Earth’s curved surface drops away beneath it. The station therefore keeps missing the ground and follows a path around the planet. This explanation uses established orbital physics; the article does not explain the mechanism itself.

The International Space Station is described in the article as an orbiting laboratory. Its orbit lets astronauts conduct long-duration research in microgravity. Adenot used that environment for experiments in biology, materials science, fluid physics, radiation physics and other fields. She also worked in Columbus, Europe’s microgravity research facility.

The Station still needs regular operations and maintenance, which Adenot supported during her mission. Its orbit provides a stable platform for international research, but crews must live and work within a carefully managed spacecraft environment. That experience supports Europe’s stated ambition to prepare for future exploration and discovery.