SATURN |  This illustration shows NASA’s Cassini spacecraft about to make one of its dives between Saturn and its innermost rings as part of the mission’s grand finale.

Illustration of Cassini Spacecraft’s Grand Finale Dive

Cassini will make 22 orbits that swoop between the rings and the planet before ending its mission on Sept. 15, 2017, with a final plunge into Saturn. The mission team hopes to gain powerful insights into the planet’s internal structure and the origins of the rings, obtain the first-ever sampling of Saturn’s atmosphere and particles coming from the main rings, and capture the closest-ever views of Saturn’s clouds and inner rings.

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/cassinifinale.jpg

During its time at Saturn, Cassini has made numerous dramatic discoveries, including a global ocean that showed indications of hydrothermal activity within the icy moon Enceladus, and liquid methane seas on its moon Titan.

The Cassini mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (the European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/cassini and http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Last Updated: April 5, 2023
Editor: Sarah Loff
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NASA.gov brings you the latest images, videos and news from America's space agency.
Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

NASA is led by Administrator Jim Bridenstine, NASA's 13th administrator. Before joining NASA, Bridenstine served in the U.S. Congress, representing Oklahoma’s First Congressional District, serving on the Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

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