<p>Sophie Adenot, born on July 5, 1982, in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, France, is a distinguished engineer, helicopter test pilot, and astronaut. She earned her engineering degree from ISAE-SUPAERO in Toulouse, specializing in spacecraft and aircraft flight dynamics, and completed a Master of Science in human factors engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2004. At MIT's Man-Vehicle Laboratory, she focused her thesis on vestibular adaptation to artificial gravity, contributing to astronaut centrifuge training design. Following her studies, Adenot worked at Airbus Helicopters, designing cockpits for the H225 model. In 2005, she joined the French Air and Space Force, where she piloted Caracal helicopters for search and rescue missions and later served in the High Authority Transport Squadron, responsible for transporting high-profile government officials. In 2018, she became France's first female helicopter test pilot after graduating with honors from the Empire Test Pilots' School in the UK, where she received the McKenna Trophy for best test pilot of her class. By 2022, she had accumulated over 3,000 flight hours across 22 helicopter types.</p><p>In November 2022, Adenot was selected from over 22,500 applicants to join the European Space Agency's (ESA) astronaut corps, becoming the second French woman to achieve this honor after Claudie Haigneré. She completed her basic astronaut training at ESA's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne in April 2024. In May 2024, ESA announced that Adenot would embark on her first mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in spring 2026, marking a significant milestone in her career and for France's presence in space exploration. Beyond her professional achievements, Adenot is also a certified yoga instructor and an advocate for STEM education, particularly encouraging young women to pursue careers in science and engineering.</p>

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