Apollo 13

Apollo 13 was planned to be the third crewed lunar landing, targeting Fra Mauro. An oxygen tank explosion on April 13 forced the crew to abort the landing. Using the Lunar Module as a lifeboat, astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise successfully returned to Earth. Apollo 13 never landed on the Moon.

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Agency / Country

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (United States)

Mission Status

ABORTED

Launch / Target Year

1970

Spacecraft / Type

Apollo LM Aquarius (lifeboat only — never landed)

Landing Site Zone

Fra Mauro Formation

Surface Coordinates

Target Lat -3.67°, Lon -17.47°

Mission Imagery & Gallery

Apollo 13 photograph 1: NASA — Apollo 13 damaged Service Module (SM) photographed after separation, showing oxygen tank explosion damage, April 17, 1970. The explosion forced mission ABORT; no lunar landing was made. (NASA, public domain) — NASA — Apollo 13 damaged Service Module (SM) photographed after separation, showing oxygen tank explosion damage, April 17, 1970. The explosion forced mission ABORT; no lunar landing was made. (NASA, public domain)

Primary Achievement

Successful failure — crew rescued after oxygen tank explosion

Mission Objectives

Perform third crewed lunar landing at Fra Mauro
Collect highland samples from Fra Mauro formation
Deploy ALSEP instruments (planned — not executed)

Timeline Events

1970-04-11 — Launch from Kennedy Space Center
1970-04-13T03:07Z — Oxygen tank #2 explodes in Service Module
1970-04-13 — Lunar landing ABORTED — LM Aquarius becomes lifeboat
1970-04-14 — Crew performs free-return trajectory manoeuvre
1970-04-17 — Crew splashdown, Pacific Ocean — all three survived

Related Missions

Apollo 12 (1969) · NASA
Apollo 14 (1971) · NASA

Historical & Technical Sources

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