French astronaut Sophie Adenot is returning to Earth on Thursday, October 8, 2026, after completing a historic 237-day mission on the International Space Station.
The journey marks the longest single space mission in history by a European astronaut, breaking previous duration records for European Space Agency crew members.
Adenot launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on February 13 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. She undocked from the orbiting laboratory on Wednesday, October 7, inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom capsule to begin a 27-hour journey back to Earth.
The four-member Crew-12 mission includes Adenot, representing the European Space Agency, American astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway from NASA, and Russian cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev from Roscosmos.
Atmospheric re-entry and splashdown schedule
The crew will begin their descent through the atmosphere on Thursday, October 8, at 4:46 p.m. Paris time. Travelling at 28,000 kilometres per hour, the capsule will rely on its heat shield to withstand extreme friction temperatures created by atmospheric contact.
Splashdown is scheduled for 5:34 p.m. Paris time in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. The heat shield protects the crew during the most hazardous phase of the return flight.
Public viewings of the splashdown will take place live on the large screen in the Vega room at the Cité de l'espace in Toulouse, France, where admission is free. Official live broadcasts will also be provided online by the European Space Agency and NASA.
Medical recovery and physical rehabilitation
After nearly eight months in microgravity, Adenot will undergo immediate medical evaluation off-camera aboard the ocean recovery vessel as her body adjusts to Earth gravity.
She will then be flown to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for initial medical debriefings. A few days later, she will travel to the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.
At the Cologne facility, Adenot will complete a multi-week physical rehabilitation program tailored to counteract long-term spaceflight effects. The specialized regimen targets recovery in bone density, muscle volume, and cardiovascular system functioning.
Scientific research on the Epsilon mission
During her stay on the orbital outpost, Adenot completed the Epsilon mission, carrying out nearly 200 scientific and technological experiments. Six of these projects were managed directly from CADMOS, the CNES human spaceflight operation center based in Toulouse.
Among the key experiments was EchoFinder, an artificial intelligence system that uses augmented reality to help astronauts conduct autonomous ultrasound scans. The technology is designed for future crewed missions to the Moon, where radio transmission delays prevent real-time guidance from medical teams on Earth.
Another experiment, PhysioTool, monitored real-time physiological and neurological adaptation to weightlessness, analyzing cognitive performance, memory retention, risk taking, and stress levels in orbit.
Adenot also conducted the ChlorISS educational project, connecting over 260,000 students across more than 4,500 classrooms on Earth to study how light and gravity affect plant growth.
Spacewalk achievements and future outlook
In addition to her research, Adenot spent 19 hours and 42 minutes working outside the station across three extravehicular activities, operating 400 kilometres above Earth.
During these spacewalks, she uninstalled a malfunctioning communication antenna, mounted a new antenna, and conducted general maintenance across the exterior of the space station.
The operations made Adenot the first French woman in history to perform a spacewalk, joining a select group of French astronauts that includes Jean-Loup Chrétien, Jean-Pierre Haigneré, Philippe Perrin, and Thomas Pesquet.
Throughout her mission, Adenot shared video updates on social media detailing daily life aboard the station, generating widespread public interest in scientific exploration.
While no formal assignment has been announced for her next flight, officials consider her a strong candidate for future space missions, including potential lunar exploration.
