Sophie Adenot Returns to Europe with a European Record for the Longest Spaceflight

European astronaut Sophie Adenot landed in Cologne, Germany, at 4:21 AM GMT on October 10, two days after splashing down with the Crew-12 crew in the ocean on October 8.

Her "Epsilon" mission logged 237 days, 5 hours, and 18 minutes in space, setting a new European record for the longest single spaceflight, according to the European Space Agency.

Adenot completed three spacewalks within 14 days, becoming the first French woman to perform a spacewalk outside the station. "60 Arabia" had previously tracked the return of the Crew-12 crew to Earth following a mission that lasted 237 days.

This development is significant for the European space sector and its research entities, as mission duration and the number of extravehicular activities are primary benchmarks for agencies' capabilities to operate crews in orbit and conduct maintenance and installation work outside the station. Setting records serves as an indicator of accumulating European expertise in long-duration human spaceflight.

What do these terms mean?

Spacewalk: An astronaut exiting the spacecraft into open space to perform maintenance or installation work.

International Space Station: A laboratory orbiting Earth operated by several agencies, including NASA and Roscosmos.

Crew: The group of astronauts executing the mission together aboard the spacecraft or station.

Single spaceflight: A single continuous mission spent by an astronaut in space prior to returning to Earth.