Astronauts forced to escape malfunctioning Soyuz rocket

Astronauts Nick Hague and Alexey Ovchinin have been forced to return to Earth in "ballistic descent mode" after their Soyuz rocket's booster malfunctioned shortly after launch, NASA announced Thursday.

"The Soyuz capsule is returning to Earth via a ballistic descent, which is a sharper angle of landing compared to normal," the agency tweeted. "Search and rescue teams are heading towards the expected touchdown location of the spacecraft and crew."