Cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky awarded Order of Legion of Honor of 1st Degree

Native of Belarus, Hero of Russia, cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor of the First Degree. The award is given for outstanding military or civil services in France.

Oleg Novitsky played an important role in strengthening French-Russian cooperation in the field of manned flights. He took part in several space missions and stayed on the International Space Station with French astronaut Thomas Pesquet and American Peggy Whitson.

The Order of the Legion of Honor is the highest award of France. It was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. Oleg Novitsky is not the only native of Belarus who has been awarded such an award. The Order of the Legion of Honor was also awarded to well-known scientist Zhores Alferov.