Another first for Tim Peake as he gets award in space from Queen

British astronaut is companion of order of St Michael and St George and dedicates it to team who make his mission possible

No one has previously been in space when they were given an award by the Queen. In order to be certain Tim Peake would accept his honour, Sir Simon McDonald, permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, had to ask the European Space Agency to set up a special phone line to the International Space Station, where Peake has been stationed since December.

The astronaut is made a CMG, or companion of the order of St Michael and St George. The award, a diplomatic honour instituted in the wake of the Napoleonic wars, is given on the recommendation of the Foreign Office to those who have given distinguished service overseas - or, on this occasion, in space.