Saturn
Cassini–Huygens
A thirteen-year investigation that transformed our understanding of Saturn and its moons.
Completed · Mission ended
View in 3D map ↗Official mission site ↗The mission
Cassini orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017, while ESA’s Huygens probe landed on Titan. The mission revealed active plumes at Enceladus, methane landscapes on Titan, and the fine structure of Saturn’s rings.
The launch
- Launch
- October 15, 1997 · 08:43 UTC
- Launch location
- Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida — Space Launch Complex 40
- Launch vehicle
- Titan IVB-Centaur
- Orbit
- Saturn orbit
Mission timeline
Follow the mission through its available trajectory data in the full 3D solar-system map.
Mission ended — Completed
Grand Finale · September 15, 2017
Mission ended
Cassini entered Saturn’s atmosphere, deliberately ending the mission to protect potentially habitable moons.
Objectives
- 01
Study Saturn’s atmosphere, rings, magnetosphere, and icy moons.
- 02
Investigate Titan’s atmosphere and surface with the Huygens probe.
- 03
Assess the habitability of ocean worlds including Enceladus.
Spacecraft
Cassini orbiter and Huygens probe
- Manufacturer
- NASA, ESA, and ASI international partnership
- Power
- Three radioisotope thermoelectric generators
Gallery
0 images from Cassini–Huygens.
No mission imagery is available yet.
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