Sophie Adenot is expected to return to European soil around 7/8 October 2026 and, subject to operational and medical considerations, should be taking questions from the media at the airport.

Please note that all arrangements remain provisional at this stage. The timing and format of any media opportunity will depend on several factors, including Sophie’s medical condition following landing and operational requirements. The date indicated above is therefore subject to change and will be confirmed at a later stage. One-to-one interviews with Sophie Adenot are not foreseen. ESA experts may however be available for interviews.

Sophie Adenot launched to the ISS on 13 February 2026 for her mission called εpsilon. She travelled to space with her Crew-12 crewmates on a SpaceX Dragon launching from Florida, USA. The crew of four included NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev.

During her mission, Sophie became the European astronaut with the longest single spaceflight, surpassing 200 days in orbit on 3 September 2026. She also completed three spacewalks within a period of 15 days, accumulating 19 hours and 42 minutes of extra-vehicular activity (EVA) time.

Shortly after arrival Sophie will be brought to ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) and the German Aerospace Centre’s (DLR) state-of-the-art: ‘envihab’ facility which provides a crucial hub for debriefing, medical monitoring and rehabilitation after missions.

ESA’s space medicine team, which includes ESA flight surgeons, physiotherapists and physical trainers, will monitor Sophie as he readapts to Earth’s gravity with a dedicated recovery programme.

Journalists interested in joining us for the return of Sophie at the airport are invited to register their interest by filling the form on our website Media form – ESA forms before Thursday 1 October at 17:00 CEST. Submission of an expression of interest does not guarantee access.

Due to security and operational constraints, only a limited number of journalists may be accommodated. Selected journalists will be contacted directly by email should the opportunity proceed as planned.

Additional media opportunities may be organised in the days following her return, subject to operational considerations.

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For questions or more information related to ESA videos, please contact directly spaceinvideos@esa.int 

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The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

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