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 Cassini HomeOverviewWhy Cassini MatteredTimelineQuick FactsMissionAbout the MissionThe Grand FinaleThe TeamTop 10sSaturn TourFAQScienceOverviewRingsTitanEnceladusMoonsMagnetosphereMultimediaAll MultimediaAudioFeatured Raw ImagesGraphicsHall of FameImagesVideosExplore This SectionCassini HomeOverviewMissionScienceMultimediaCassini-HuygensFor more than a decade, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft shared the wonders of Saturn and its family of icy moons. It took us to astounding worlds where methane rivers run to a methane sea and where jets of ice and gas are blasting material into space from a liquid water ocean that might harbor the ingredients for life.Occurred 7 years agoTypeOrbiter, ProbeLaunchOct. 15, 1997TargetThe Saturn SystemstatusSuccessfulCassini StoriesExplore All Cassini StoriesArticle5 min readNASA Study Finds Life-Sparking Energy Source and Molecule at EnceladusArticle1 min readCassini Top 10 Images of 2011Article1 min readCassini Top 10 Images of 2012Article1 min readCassini Top 10 Images of 20131 min readCassini 10 Years at Saturn Top ImagesArticle7 months ago1 min readCassini Top 10 Images of 2014Article7 months ago1 min readCassini Top 10 Images – 2015Article7 months ago6 min readNASA Cassini Data Reveals Building Block for Life in Enceladus’ OceanArticle1 year agoTimelineUnable to render the provided sourceRe-fly the Cassini mission from Earth in 1997 to it spectacular end at Saturn in 2015.NASA/JPL-Caltech/VTADMissionScienceThe Grand FinaleMission to SaturnFor more than a decade, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft shared the wonders of Saturn, its spectacular rings, and its family of icy moons.Cassini was a sophisticated robotic spacecraft sent to study Saturn and its complex system of rings and moons in unprecedented detail. It was one of the most ambitious efforts ever mounted in planetary exploration.Read MoreA view of Saturn from the Cassini spacecraft shows the golden planet with its rings.With this view, Cassini captured one of its last looks at Saturn and its main rings from a distance. The Saturn system was Cassini's home for 13 years.

This view was acquired at a distance of approximately 870,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers) from Saturn. Image scale is 50 miles (80 kilometers) per pixel.NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science InstituteScience at SaturnBefore Cassini, we had only brief glimpses of the discoveries awaiting us at Saturn.Cassini changed all that. It began the first in-depth, up-close study of Saturn and its system of rings and moons in 2004. It became the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, beginning a mission that yielded troves of new insights over more than a decade. The Saturnian system proved to be rich ground for exploration and discoveries, and Cassini's science findings changed the course of future planetary exploration.Read MoreThe curve of Enceladus with white spray aboveDramatic plumes, both large and small, spray water ice and vapor from many locations along the famed "tiger stripes" near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus.NASA/JPL/Space Science InstituteCassini's Spectacular EndAfter two decades in space, NASA's Cassini spacecraft ended its remarkable journey of exploration.Having expended almost every bit of the rocket propellant it carried to Saturn, operators deliberately plunged Cassini into the planet to ensure Saturn's moons remain pristine for future exploration—in particular, the ice-covered, ocean-bearing moon Enceladus, but also Titan, with its intriguing pre-biotic chemistry.Read MoreA colorful artist's view of Cassini racing above Saturn with a giant 'Whoosh!" trailing in text. A thought bubble says, We pointed our antenna to Earth for the last time; determined to get science to the last second.A commemorative retro poster created for Cassini's Grand Finale.NASA/JPL-CaltechBacklit SaturnOn July 19, 2013, in an event celebrated the world over, NASA's Cassini spacecraft slipped into Saturn's shadow and turned to image the planet, seven of its moons, its inner rings -- and, in the background, our home planet, Earth.Learn MoreSaturn captured with an ethereal glow as it is backlit by the Sun.Lessons LearnedBefore the mission ended, Cassini was already a powerful influence on future exploration. In revealing that Enceladus has essentially all the ingredients needed for life, the mission energized a pivot to the exploration of "ocean worlds" that has been sweeping planetary science over the past couple of decades.Lessons learned during Cassini's mission are being applied in planning NASA's Europa Clipper mission, planned for launch in October 2024. Europa Clipper will make dozens of flybys of Jupiter's icy moon to determine whether there are places below the surface that could support life. The mission uses an orbital tour design derived from the way Cassini explored Saturn.Farther out in the solar system, scientists have long had their eyes set on exploring Uranus and Neptune. So far, each of these worlds has been visited by only one brief spacecraft flyby (Voyager 2, in 1986 and 1989, respectively). Collectively, Uranus and Neptune are referred to as ice giant planets. A variety of potential mission concepts are discussed. Future missions to the ice giants might explore those worlds using an approach similar to Cassini's mission.Keep ExploringDiscover More Topics From NASASaturnA view of Saturn from the Cassini spacecraft shows the golden planet with its rings.TitanColor image of Titan in front of Saturn.EnceladusThe icy white surface of a moon in space is completely covered in wrinkles, folds, and fractures, some appearing bluish in color.Our Solar SystemAn illustration of a slice of a bright orange sun, with planets, a comet and asteroids against a blue-black backround.
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