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    NASA · ESA · ASI · Orbiter

    Cassini–Huygens

    Thirteen years in orbit around Saturn transformed our view of its rings and moons; ESA's Huygens probe landed on Titan.

    CompletedEnded with a planned plunge into Saturn's atmosphere on 15 September 2017.

    Launch date

    1997-10-15

    Destination

    Saturn system

    Mission end

    2017-09-15

    Objectives

    • Study Saturn's rings, atmosphere and magnetosphere
    • Explore Titan and the icy moons

    Spacecraft

    Cassini orbiter (NASA/ASI) and Huygens probe (ESA); 5,600 kg at launch

    Scientific instruments and systems

    • Imaging Science Subsystem
    • Cassini Radar
    • VIMS
    • CIRS
    • Huygens descent instruments

    Timeline

    1. 1997-10-15Launch on Titan IVB
    2. 2004-07-01Saturn orbit insertion
    3. 2005-01-14Huygens landed on Titan
    4. 2017-09-15Grand Finale: plunge into Saturn

    Major achievements

    • Discovered Enceladus's water plumes
    • Mapped Titan's methane seas
    • First landing in the outer Solar System

    Status reviewed 2026-10-23. For official images and the latest updates, visit the agency pages listed under Sources.