1997
LAUNCHED
2004–2017
SATURN MISSION
SATURN
PRIMARY TARGET
13 YEARS
IN SATURN ORBIT
TITAN
MAJOR MOON STUDIED
22
FINAL ORBITS
THE SATURN EXPLORER
Cassini was a robotic spacecraft launched
in 1997 as part of a joint NASA, ESA and
Italian Space Agency mission.
After a journey of almost seven years,
Cassini entered orbit around Saturn in 2004.
For more than a decade, the spacecraft
studied Saturn, its rings, atmosphere and
many moons in unprecedented detail.
One of its most important discoveries
came at Enceladus, where Cassini detected
evidence of a global subsurface ocean and
water-rich plumes erupting from the moon's
south polar region.
Cassini also carried the Huygens probe,
which descended through the atmosphere
of Titan and landed on its surface in 2005.
In 2017, Cassini ended its mission by
deliberately entering Saturn's atmosphere.
This final phase became known as the
Grand Finale.
CASSINI DISCOVERIES
TITAN
Cassini revealed Titan's complex surface,
including lakes and seas of liquid methane
and ethane. The Huygens probe also landed
there in 2005.
ENCELADUS
Cassini discovered powerful water-rich
plumes erupting from Enceladus, revealing
a hidden ocean beneath its icy crust.
SATURN'S RINGS
The spacecraft studied the rings in detail,
revealing their structure, composition,
waves and interactions with Saturn's moons.
DID YOU KNOW?
Cassini's final mission phase sent the
spacecraft between Saturn and its innermost
ring before it
burned up in Saturn's atmosphere.
A REVOLUTION IN SATURN SCIENCE
The Cassini-Huygens mission transformed knowledge of Saturn, its rings and moons during years of observations in the Saturn system. Cassini revealed active water-rich plumes at Enceladus and repeatedly observed Titan through its thick atmosphere, while the Huygens probe descended to Titan's surface in 2005.
The mission also investigated Saturn's atmosphere, magnetosphere and complex ring system. Its results made Titan and Enceladus central targets in modern research on ocean worlds and potentially habitable environments.
CASSINI-HUYGENS MISSION
NASA / ESA / ASI
NASA / ESA / ASI