NASA's Jessica Meir and ESA's Sophie Adenot floated outside the International Space Station this week for the sixth all-female spacewalk ever, a 6.5-hour shift of maintenance that marked a quiet but significant milestone in human spaceflight.
Roughly 400 kilometres above the Earth, two astronauts floated out into the vacuum of space this week and, in doing so, quietly made history once again. Their carefully choreographed excursion outside the International Space Station marked only the sixth all-female spacewalk ever attempted in the programme.
It was a moment that blended the routine with the genuinely remarkable. On one hand, this was simply another day of essential maintenance on humanity's orbiting laboratory. On the other, it was a striking reminder of just how far, and yet how recently, women have travelled in the story of human spaceflight.
A Rare Sight in Orbit
According to reports, the spacewalk took place on 1 September and made history as just the sixth occasion on which two women have ventured outside the station together, working without a male crewmate floating alongside them at any point.
Such moments remain surprisingly uncommon even today. The excursion was reportedly the first all-female spacewalk since May 2025, underlining that even in the modern era these particular milestones still arrive only every so often, rather than as a matter of routine.
The Two Women Outside
The two astronauts at the centre of the achievement were NASA's Jessica Meir and Sophie Adenot of France, representing the European Space Agency. For Meir, already a seasoned spacewalker, it was reportedly her seventh venture outside a spacecraft during her career.
For Adenot, the experience was rather newer, marking only her third spacewalk to date. Her presence also added a welcome international dimension to the milestone, a reminder that human spaceflight has long since become a genuinely shared endeavour across many different nations.
The Work at Hand
This was no symbolic stroll for the cameras, but a demanding shift of real engineering work. According to reports, the pair spent roughly six and a half hours outside the station, methodically working their way through a detailed checklist of important maintenance tasks.
Their assignments were practical and precise. The astronauts reportedly swapped out a navigation mirror used for docking, replaced a camera, and prepared cables for future repairs, exactly the sort of unglamorous but essential upkeep that keeps the ageing station running smoothly.
A Team Effort Inside
While the two spacewalkers drew the attention, their success depended heavily on colleagues working carefully inside. Flight engineer Anil Menon reportedly operated the station's 17-metre Canadarm2 robotic arm, gently manoeuvring Meir along the starboard truss to her worksite.
Safety, as ever, was paramount throughout the entire operation. Astronaut Jack Hathaway is said to have monitored proceedings closely from within the station, while Adenot translated independently along the outpost's intricate network of handrails and safety tethers.
A History Still Being Written
The rarity of these events makes each and every one significant. The very first all-female spacewalk took place only in October 2019, when Christina Koch and, fittingly, Jessica Meir herself stepped outside together in what became a genuine landmark moment for the space programme.
That Meir now finds herself part of the sixth such milestone speaks to both her own remarkable career and the slow but steady progress being made over the years. What was once considered utterly extraordinary is gradually, if still unevenly, becoming a more familiar sight in orbit.
Why It Matters
For young people watching from the ground far below, the symbolism is genuinely hard to overstate. Seeing women perform highly technical work in one of the most hostile environments imaginable offers a powerful signal about exactly who belongs in the future of space exploration.
As the station continues its steady orbit and the astronauts return safely inside, the significance of the moment lingers. Milestones like this one are a quiet measure of change, marking a future in which the question of who ventures into space feels a little more open than ever before.
Really useful piece on ISS.
Solid take on ISS.
ISS: covered better than most.