FROM A CHILDHOOD DREAM TO A SPACE MISSION…

WHO IS SOPHIE ADenot?

A scientific speaker and colonel in the French Air and Space Force, Sophie Adenot is the first French female experimental helicopter test pilot — and her CV is as impressive as a rocket.

A polyglot, she speaks fluent English, has a good command of German and Spanish, and also speaks Russian, which she began learning at the age of 14 by reading books about cosmonauts.

Sophie graduated from ISAE-SUPAERO (the French National School of Aeronautics and Space Engineering) and also holds a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics with a focus on human factors, obtained at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.

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Sophie in numbers…

WITH OVER

3,000 HOURS

of flight across 22 types of helicopters.

MASTERING THE SKY BEFORE REACHING THE STARS.

SELECTED FROM

22,523 CANDIDATES

for the ESA astronaut corps.

A DREAM TURNED INTO REALITY!

NEARLY

3 YEARS OF PREPARATION

intensive before launch.

A PHYSICAL AND MENTAL COUNTDOWN.

TO BECOME AN ASTRONAUT, IT TAKES…

AN EXCEPTIONAL JOURNEY

From a very young age, Sophie developed an interest in mechanics thanks to her grandfather.

“He is the one who gave me my love for machines, as he was a mechanic in the French Air and Space Force.”

She was also inspired by reading biographies of pioneering women and scientists, particularly Marie Curie, whose story she discovered at the age of 11.

One defining moment in shaping her path was the launch into space of Claudie Haigneré, the first French female astronaut, nearly 30 years ago.

Sophie often refers to this mission as a guiding constellation — a fixed point that shaped her journey:

“My path has been built around this dream.”

DISCOVER HER DREAM

AND NOW?

HEADING TO THE ISS!

Sophie was selected as a career astronaut by ESA in November 2022.

She began her one-year basic training in April 2023 and obtained her ESA astronaut certification on April 22, 2024, making her eligible for space missions.

In May 2024, Sophie was assigned to her first long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station.

WATCH THE TRAILER

“If my story can inspire even just one vocation, then I will truly have accomplished my mission.”

Interview France Inter – Sophie Adenot

A GOAL

INSPIRING FUTURE GENERATIONS

Sophie Adenot doesn’t just want to take part in space exploration — she wants to pass something on.

Through her journey, she hopes to encourage other young people — girls and boys alike — to dream big and dare to follow unconventional paths.

In the film HOPE — Dreams Never Die, she shares her doubts, her victories, and her determination to make this dream accessible to all.

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and you — how far would you go to make your dream come true?

HOPE, Dreams Never Die is an invitation to reconnect with what is most alive within us: our ability to believe, to dare, and to pass dreams on to others.

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