Sophie Adenot

Sophie Marie Laurence Adenot was born on July 5, 1982. She is a French engineer, helicopter pilot, and astronaut. She holds the rank of colonel in the French Air and Space Force and became France's first female helicopter test pilot in 2018.

In 2022, she was chosen to join the European Astronaut Corps. Her first space mission began in early 2026. She traveled to the International Space Station on SpaceX Crew-12. She joined Expedition 74 and Expedition 75 for a long stay in space.

Early life and education

Sophie Marie Laurence Adenot was born on 5 July 1982, in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, Burgundy, France. Her parents were Isabelle Adenot, a pharmacist, and Hubert Adenot, a notary. Sophie grew up inspired by her grandfather, who worked as an aircraft mechanic in the French Air Force, and by the astronaut Claudie Haigneré, whom she watched travel to the space station Mir on television in 1996.

Sophie went to a special school in Saint-Denis for girls whose families had been honored with the Legion of Honour. She later studied engineering at the Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace and earned a degree in 2004. The same year, she got a Master of Science in human factors engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While there, she studied how people’s senses adjust to artificial gravity, which helps train astronauts.

Career

Sophie Adenot began her career as an engineer at Airbus Helicopters in Marignane, where she helped design helicopter cockpits, especially for the H225 model. She joined the French Air Force in 2005 and became a helicopter pilot. She flew on search and rescue missions and later became the first woman in France to be a helicopter test pilot in 2018.

In 2022, Adenot was chosen to join the European Astronaut Corps as part of the 2022 European Space Agency Astronaut Group. She was set to fly to the International Space Station in spring 2026 as part of the Crew-12 mission named "Epsilon". She will spend eight months there doing over 200 experiments, including studying how weightlessness affects health and growing plants in space. She also planned to bring special French dishes made by chef Anne-Sophie Pic to enjoy during her time in space.

Awards and honors

In 2020, Sophie Adenot was honored by the Young Leaders program of the French-American Foundation.

In 2021, she received the Medal of the French National Assembly for her work in encouraging equality for girls and women in science. In 2022, she was named a chevalier of the French National Order of Merit and also received the country's Aeronautical Medal.

Personal life

Sophie Adenot met her husband while she was studying to become an engineer. As of 2025, they have one son together.