He piloted Gemini 7 in 1965, commanded Gemini 12 in 1966, and orbited the Moon on Apollo 8 (the first crewed lunar flight) in 1968. Lovell was also commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission that had to abort a Moon landing when an oxygen tank ruptured in the service module.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Lovell was awarded a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree by the US Naval Academy, then became a naval test pilot. He was selected as an astronaut in 1962. He retired in 1973. After his retirement, he established Lovell Communications.