Nick Hague

Did You Know?

• Hague's first spaceflight, Soyuz MS-10, was aborted after a side booster collided with the core stage at about 50 km altitude; the crew landed safely 19 minutes and 41 seconds after liftoff.
• Though the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft did not cross the Kármán line at 100 km, the USAF defines space at 50 mi, technically qualifying Hague for the Astronaut Badge; he received a custom NASA Astronaut Pin made of tin.
• Hague is the first guardian to launch into space, though Colonel Michael S. Hopkins became the first Space Force guardian in space when he transferred while onboard the ISS.
• Hague was nominated for promotion to brigadier general on 13 June 2025, and confirmed by the Senate on 29 June 2025.

Early life and education

Hague was born in Belleville, Kansas in 1975. He attended Peabody-Burns Elementary School in Peabody, Kansas, while his father was principal of Peabody-Burns High School from 1982 to 1989. In 1994, he graduated from Hoxie High School in Hoxie, Kansas. He completed a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1998 and an MS in Aerospace Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000.

U.S. Air Force and Space Force career

Nick Hague began his military career in May 1998, earning his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Two years later, he was stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, where he focused on advanced spacecraft technologies. In 2003, he entered the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and after graduating in 2004, he joined the 416th Flight Test Squadron to evaluate F-16, F-15, and T-38 aircraft.

That same year, he spent five months in Iraq on a deployment supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, conducting experimental airborne reconnaissance missions. By 2006, Hague had shifted to academia, teaching courses in introductory astronautics and linear control systems at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. He earned a fellowship in 2009 for the Air Force Fellows program in Washington, D.C. From 2012 to 2013, he served as Deputy Chief of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization within the Department of Defense.

Promoted to colonel in 2016, his transfer to the U.S. Space Force was approved in December 2020. He had previously served as the Space Force's director of Test and Evaluation at the Pentagon in 2019. Hague holds the distinction of being the first guardian to launch into space. In June 2025, he was nominated and confirmed by the Senate for promotion to brigadier general.

As of 2025, he is responsible for the development and implementation of policy for all Space Force global operations, sustainment, training and readiness.

NASA career

Hague was selected by NASA as part of Astronaut Group 21 and completed training in July 2015. He retired from NASA on 23 December 2025 after completing two long-duration missions to the International Space Station. During the Soyuz MS-10 abort on 11 October 2018, a side booster collided with the core stage at about 50 km altitude, causing an explosion. The launch escape system activated, pulling the crew away and reaching an apogee of 93 km.

The spacecraft entered a ballistic descent with forces of six to seven times Earth's gravity; the crew landed safely 19 minutes and 41 seconds after liftoff, about 20 km east of Jezkazgan, Kazakhstan and about 402 km downrange. The failed launch grounded all crewed Soyuz missions; an investigation found a manufacturing error in the rocket's side booster, specifically a damaged joint. Though the spacecraft did not cross the Kármán line at 100 km, the USAF defines space at 50 mi, technically qualifying Hague for the Astronaut Badge; he received a custom NASA Astronaut Pin made of tin.

He launched successfully on Soyuz MS-12 on 14 March 2019 with Ovchinin and Christina Koch, joining Expedition 59. After the departure of Kononenko, Saint-Jacques, and McClain in July 2019, the trio transitioned to Expedition 60, with Ovchinin commanding. The crew returned to Earth in early October 2019. An extended stay on the ISS was considered but not pursued; Hague confirmed in February 2019 that his mission would last 204 days.

Hague performed his first spacewalk on 22 March 2019 with Anne McClain, lasting 6 hours and 39 minutes, installing adapter plates while Dextre swapped ISS batteries. His second EVA on 29 March 2019 with Koch lasted 6 hours and 45 minutes; originally planned as the first all-female EVA, suit issues led to Hague being assigned. His third EVA on 21 August 2019 with Andrew R. Morgan lasted 6 hours and 32 minutes, installing a new International Docking Adapter on Harmony; during this EVA, Hague wore the Artemis program logo.

Hague served as commander of SpaceX Crew-9, originally slated as pilot. After Boeing Starliner returned uncrewed, Crew-9 adjusted to accommodate two open seats for Wilmore and Williams. Hague performed his fourth EVA on 16 January 2025 with Sunita Williams, lasting six hours, replacing a rate gyro assembly, installing patches on NICER, replacing a reflector on the IDA, and conducting checks for future work on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. During this EVA, Hague wore the Space Force Delta on his arm along with the motto 'Semper Supra'.