Cassini Space Probe
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.
Cassini space probe. The cassini spacecraft orbited saturn from june 30 2004 until sept. 15 2017 when the probe ended its life with a plunge into the ringed planet s atmosphere. Cassini carried a passenger to the saturn system the european huygens probe the first human made object to land on a world in the distant outer solar system.
After 20 years in space 13 of those years exploring saturn cassini exhausted its fuel supply. Cassini was the fourth space probe to visit saturn and the first to enter its orbit. Cassini huygens was one of the most ambitious missions ever launched into space.
National aeronautics and space administration s nasa s cassini orbiter which was the first space probe to orbit saturn and the european space agency s huygens probe which landed on titan saturn s largest moon. Gian domenico cassini french jean dominique cassini born june 8 1625 perinaldo republic of genoa italy died september 14 1712 paris france italian born french astronomer who among others discovered the cassini division the dark gap between the rings a and b of saturn. Launched aboard a titan ivb centaur on october 15 1997 cassini was active in space for nearly 20 years with 13 years spent orbiting saturn and studying the planet and its system after entering orbit on july 1 2004.
The cassini spacecraft was built by nasa s jet propulsion laboratory jpl and the italian space agency asi and is one of the largest heaviest and most complex interplanetary spacecraft ever built. The mission consisted of the u s. He also discovered four of saturn s moons.
Cassini huygens u s european space mission to saturn launched on october 15 1997. The cassini orbiter and the huygens probe. The two craft took their names from the astronomers giovanni cassini and christiaan huygens.
News images and videos from the cassini mission which explored saturn and its moons from 2004 to 2017. Loaded with an array of powerful instruments and cameras the spacecraft was capable of taking accurate measurements and detailed images in a variety of atmospheric conditions and light spectra. Cassini revealed in great detail the true wonders of saturn a giant world ruled by raging storms and delicate harmonies of gravity.