Apollo 8 and 13 astronaut Jim Lovell welcomed the Artemis II astronauts to his old neighborhood with a cheery prerecorded message of encouragement

The Artemis II astronauts were awoken on day six of their mission to the Moon by a message from the late Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, welcoming them to his ‘old neighborhood’.

Lovell was one of the first three astronauts to fly out to the Moon as part of the Apollo 8 mission back in 1968. 

He was also due to be a part of the third Moon landing with Apollo 13, but the mission to land on the lunar surface had to be aborted after an oxygen tank exploded just two days after blasting off, disabling the life-support system.

Thankfully, the three astronauts on board managed to safely make it back down to Earth and Lovell went on to write a book about the ill-fated mission, which was turned into the 1995 movie starring Tom Hanks.

Late NASA astronaut Jim Lovell left a sweet message for the Artemis II team

Sadly, Lovell died in August last year aged 97. 

But just weeks before his death, he recorded a special message to be played for the team of astronauts on the Artemis II mission. 

The Artemis II mission blasted off on April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center, with three NASA astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency on board. 

The mission is the first time humans have been to the Moon in more than 50 years and saw the team go further into space than anyone has ever been before. 

Shortly after launch, Wiseman commented on the view that only a handful of people have ever seen. 

“Great view,” he said. “We have got a great moonrise”.

One of those people who have been lucky enough to see that very same view was, of course, Lovell. 

And on day six of the 10-day long mission, the team of astronauts were woken up by a message from the late astronaut. 

“Hello Artemis II! this is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell,” he said in the message.

"Welcome to my old neighborhood." Our @NASAArtemis II astronauts woke up on the sixth day of their mission to a special message recorded in 2025 by astronaut Jim Lovell, the pilot of Apollo 8. pic.twitter.com/XA4Dc2yQm5

— NASA (@NASA) April 6, 2026

“Welcome to my old neighborhood. When Frank Borman and Bill Andrews 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. 

“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 and Victor and Christina and Jeremy, and all the great teams are supporting you, good luck and Godspeed from all of us here on the good Earth.”

Ever wondered what it’s like to be an astronaut? Here’s what NASA told us

Many of us grew up dreaming of being an astronaut but for most of us that’s about as far as we got. 

But for the exceptional few who do make it into space, it’s an incredible emotional experience. 

We recently asked NASA what it felt like to be blasted off into space and get a chance to see Earth from a whole new perspective.

And while the US space agency stressed that it can’t comment on how individuals may feel as each one ‘brings their own perspective and experience’, it did share some typical responses. 

“While these phases are inherently complex, astronauts often describe their experience not in terms of anxiety, but as a combination of focus, anticipation, excitement, and awe,” NASA told us.

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