Houston-based astronaut on Soyuz to launch again

HOUSTON – Since we live in Space City, we keep you updated on the future of space. Houston-based astronaut Nick Hague will be on a Soyuz launch in February after a failed launch back in October.

Everything worked perfectly on board the Russian Soyuz rocket for NASA astronaut Hague and a Russian cosmonaut for about the first two minutes of their flight on Oct. 11.  But more than 30 miles up, there was a problem with a sensor.  

Alarms sounded, lights lit up and the Soyuz violently shook.  The two astronauts, who were to spend months in space, quickly came back to Earth, landing in a remote field in Kazakhstan just 38 minutes after launch.  

"Essentially the rocket came apart underneath us.  The launch escape system worked flawlessly," Hague said.

They will try again in late February.  

Hague’s wife, Lt. Col. Catie Hague, who commands the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Houston, said before his launch it’s a little scary.

"If you weren't nervous, then you wouldn't be human.  You’re sitting on top of a rocket full of rocket fuel," she said.

Catie Hague also said their two young sons consider their father a superhero.  

"It depends on how much homework we have to get through.  They are a huge source of pride for me.  Being dad is the thing I'm most proud of," Nick Hague said.

So now a man who nearly made it to space and safely returned to Earth will launch again along with NASA astronaut Christina Koch and a Russian cosmonaut.