Putin gives Order of Courage award to American astronaut who survived Soyuz launch accident

NASA astronaut Nick Hague has received the Order of Courage following a command from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin issued the prestigious state award to Hague for “the courage and high professionalism he demonstrated while fulfilling his duties in high-risk, life-threatening conditions during an emergency situation at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.”

In October of 2018, Hague took off for the International Space Station with Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin. The Soyuz rocket that was meant to carry them into orbit malfunctioned a few minutes after liftoff; Hague and Ovchinin survived the accident without injury by ejecting a landing craft.