US astronaut Jim Lovell, the commander of the Apollo 13 Moon mission which nearly ended in disaster in 1970 after a mid-flight explosion, has died at the age of 97, NASA announced Friday.

The former Navy pilot, who was portrayed by actor Tom Hanks in the 1995 movie "Apollo 13," died in a Chicago suburb on Thursday, the US space agency said in a statement.

The astronaut's "life and work inspired millions of people across the decades," NASA said, praising his "character and steadfast courage."

Lovell travelled to the Moon twice but never walked on the lunar surface.

Yet he is considered one of the greats of the US space program after rescuing a mission that teetered on the brink of disaster as the world watched in suspense far below.

Launched on April 11, 1970 -- nine months after Neil

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