Jim Lovell, the US astronaut who commanded the near-disastrous Apollo 13 mission in 1970, has died at the age of 97, NASA announced on Friday. The space agency said Lovell passed away on Thursday in a suburb of Chicago.
Lovell, immortalised by Tom Hanks in the 1995 film Apollo 13, was widely regarded as one of the central figures in America’s lunar program, despite never setting foot on the Moon. “NASA sends its condolences to the family of Capt. Jim Lovell, whose life and work inspired millions of people across the decades,” the agency said in its statement.
Apollo 13 launched on April 11, 1970, just nine months after Neil Armstrong’s historic Moonwalk, and was intended to be the third mission to land humans on the lunar surface. But an oxygen tank exploded en route, forcing the crew to abort the landing.
The incident led to one of NASA’s most famous moments, when astronaut Jack Swigert radioed mission control: “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Lovell then repeated the message, according to NASA’s account.
What followed was a tense, improvised journey back to Earth. Lovell, nicknamed “Smilin’ Jim” by fellow astronauts, was credited with the calm leadership and quick decision-making that brought his crew home safely, earning praise worldwide. NASA noted that his “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.”
Lovell’s legacy also includes serving on Apollo 8 in 1968, alongside two other astronauts, becoming the first humans to orbit the Moon and laying the groundwork for the first lunar landing the following year.
What you should know
Jim Lovell, commander of the Apollo 13 mission, has died aged 97. He led his crew safely back to Earth after a mid-flight explosion forced them to abandon a planned Moon landing.
Nicknamed “Smilin’ Jim,” Lovell also made history on Apollo 8 as one of the first people to orbit the Moon. He is remembered as a courageous leader who turned a potential space tragedy into a lesson in resilience and ingenuity.
