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Cassini-Huygens

Artists's Conception of Cassini Saturn Orbit Insertion

This is an artist's concept of Cassini during the Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) maneuver, just after the main engine has begun firing.
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Catching its Tail

A huge storm churning through the atmosphere in Saturn's northern hemisphere overtakes itself as it encircles the planet in this true-color view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
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The Greatest Saturn Portrait ...Yet

While cruising around Saturn in early October 2004, Cassini captured a series of images that have been composed into the largest, most detailed, global natural color view of Saturn and its rings ever made.
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Composition Differences within Saturn's Rings

Possible variations in chemical composition from one part of Saturn's ring system to another are visible in this archival image from NASA's Voyager 2.
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The Face of Beauty

Few sights in the solar system are more strikingly beautiful than softly hued Saturn embraced by the shadows of its stately rings.
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Post-Equinox Color

NASA's Cassini Orbiter captured this natural color view of Saturn almost a month after the planet's August 2009 equinox. The shadow cast on the planet by the rings remains narrow.
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Reappearing Rhea

Rhea emerges after being occulted by the larger moon Titan in this image taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
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Bright Moons

NASA's Cassini spacecraft observes three of Saturn's moons set against the darkened night side of the planet. Seen here are Rhea, closest to Cassini, Enceladus to right of Rhea, and Dione, left of Rhea.
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Bursting at the Seams

NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured dramatic plumes, both large and small, spray water ice out from many locations along the famed 'tiger stripes' near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus.
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Cassini Jupiter Portrait

This true color mosaic of Jupiter was constructed from images taken by the narrow angle camera onboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft, during its closest approach to the giant planet and is its most detailed portrait.
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Mission Summary

Orbiting the ringed planet Saturn and its numerous moons, the Cassini spacecraft has been and continues to be a keystone of exploration of the Saturnian system and the properties of gaseous planets in our solar system.

A joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency, or ESA, and the Italian Space Agency, Cassini launched in 1997 along with ESA's Huygens probe. The spacecraft contributed to studies of Jupiter for six months in 2000 before reaching its destination, Saturn, in 2004 and starting a string of flybys of Saturn's moons. That same year it released the Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan to conduct a study of the moon's atmosphere and surface composition. Now in its second extended mission, which goes through 2017, Cassini will make the first observations of a complete seasonal period for Saturn and its moons.

Mission Events

April 26, 1998: Cassini-Huygens flies by Venus to borrow gravitational energy and pick up speed for its journey to the Saturnian system.

June 24, 1999: Cassini-Huygens makes its second flyby of Venus.

August 18, 1999: Cassini-Huygens flies by Earth to pick up more speed.

December 30, 2000: Cassini-Huygens takes a six-month swing by Jupiter to pick up speed for its journey to Saturn and collaborates with NASA's Galileo spacecraft to study the Jovian system.

June 30, 2004: Cassini arrives at Saturn.

December 13, 2004: Cassini-Huygens makes its first flyby of a Saturnian moon, two in fact: Titan and Dione. For a full list of Cassini's flybys since 2004, visit: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/flybys/

December 24, 2004: The Cassini spacecraft releases the European Space Agency-built Huygens probe at Saturn's moon Titan.

January 14, 2005: The Huygens probe makes its descent through Titan's atmosphere to sample the chemical composition and surface properties of the Saturnian moon.

June 2008: Cassini completes its primary mission to explore the Saturn system and begins its mission extension (Cassini Equinox Mission).

September 2010: Cassini completes its extended mission (Cassini Equinox Mission) and begins its second mission extension (Cassini Solstice Mission), which goes through 2017 and will make the first observations of a complete seasonal period for Saturn and its moons. Learn more at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm .

Scientific Instrument(s)

- Cassini orbiter:
- Ion and neutral mass spectrometer
- Visible and infrared mapping spectrometer
- Composite infrared spectrometer
- Cosmic dust analyzer
- Radio and plasma wave instrument
- Cassini plasma spectrometer
- Ultraviolet imaging spectrograph
- Magnetospheric imaging instrument
- Dual technique magnetometer

Huygens probe:
- Descent imager and spectral radiometer
- Huygens atmospheric structure instrument
- Gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer
- Aerosol collector pyrolyzer
- Surface science package
- Doppler wind experiment

Fast Facts

Acronym:	Cassini

Type:	Orbiter, Flyby

Status:	Current

Launch Date:	October 15, 1997 4:43 a.m. EDT (08:43 UTC)

Launch Location:	Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

Target:	Saturn

Destination:	Saturn, Saturn's moons (Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Helene Rhea, Titan, Iapetus, Phoebe)

Current Location:	› Click to view

Resources

› Mission Website

› Press Kit

› Arrival Press Kit

› Fact Sheet

› Cassini on Twitter

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