The famed commander of the Apollo 13 moon mission, James Lovell, left a special message for the crew of Artemis II, which is currently on a spaceflight mission, before he died in Lake Forest last year.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Wednesday launched the Artemis II mission, sending four astronauts on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon.
Artemis II builds on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I in 2022 and will demonstrate a broad range of capabilities needed on deep space missions, according to NASA.
The Artemis II test flight is NASA’s first mission with crew aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.
The Artemis II crew on Monday wrapped up a historic seven-hour lunar flyby, marking a first for humans since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The sounds of “Good Morning,” by Mandisa and TobyMac played as NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, woke up just 18,830 miles from the Moon before the flyby.
The crew also received a special message that Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell recorded for the mission before his death in 2025.
“Hello, Artemis II! This is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighborhood! When Frank Borman, Bill Anders, and I orbited the Moon on Apollo 8, we got humanity’s first up-close look at the Moon and got a view of the home planet that inspired and united people around the world,” Lovell said.
“I’m proud to pass that torch on to you — as you swing around the Moon and lay the groundwork for missions to Mars … for the benefit of all. It’s a historic day, and I know how busy you’ll be. But don’t forget to enjoy the view. So, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, and all the great teams supporting you – good luck and Godspeed from all of us here on the good Earth,” he said.
Lovell, 97, died on August 7 in Lake Forest as a result of complications of a hip fracture, according to Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton.
The injury occurred during a fall in his residence and he was transported to the hospital where he later died. Newton said cardiovascular disease was a contributing condition to the death.
Lovell was a veteran of the Gemini 7, Gemini 12 and Apollo 8 missions before becoming the commander for the nearly disastrous Apollo 13 mission to the Moon.
“NASA sends its condolences to the family of Capt. Jim Lovell, whose life and work inspired millions of people across the decades. Jim’s character and steadfast courage helped our nation reach the Moon and turned a potential tragedy into a success from which we learned an enormous amount,” Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said at the time.
Duffy said that Lovell helped the nation forge a historic path in space that “carries us forward” to upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.
Lovell was the Command Module Pilot for Apollo 8 where he and his crewmates became the first to lift off on a Saturn V rocket and orbit the Moon, proving that the lunar landing was within reach.
Lovell was also the commander of the Apollo 13 mission where his “calm strength under pressure” helped return the crew safely to Earth and demonstrated the “quick thinking and innovation that informed future NASA missions,” Duffy said.
Lovell, who joined NASA in 1962 as part of its second group of astronauts, was nicknamed “Smilin’ Jim” by his fellow astronauts because he was quick with a grin when he had a particularly funny comeback.
“Jim also served our country in the military, and the Navy has lost a proud academy graduate and test pilot. Jim Lovell embodied the bold resolve and optimism of both past and future explorers, and we will remember him always,” Duffy said.
Lovell’s family said in a statement that they were “enormously proud” of his “amazing life and career accomplishments, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human space flight.”
“But, to all of us, he was Dad, Granddad, and the Leader of our family. Most importantly, he was our Hero. We will miss his unshakeable optimism, his sense of humor, and the way he made each of us feel we could do the impossible. He was truly one of a kind,” his family said.
Lovell’s first space flight was Gemini 7. He logged 715 hours in space during his four career missions, a record held until it was surpassed by Skylab crew members in 1973.
The U.S. Naval Institute said a funeral and committal were held for Lovell in October at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.