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The Cassini-Huygens mission was launched in 1997, sent to explore Saturn and some of its moons. An international collaboration of three space agencies and some seventeen nations were involved in building the spacecraft. Named after Italian astronomer Gian Domenico Cassini, the Cassini orbiter was built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Huygens probe was built by the European Space Agency, and the high-gain communications antenna was developed by the Italian Space Agency. Some 250 scientists worldwide will study the data collected.
Upon its arrival in July, 2004, Cassini sent a probe (Huygens) into the atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Over four years, Cassini, orbiting Saturn and its moons, will conduct detailed studies of Saturn's atmosphere, rings, and magnetosphere; conduct close-up studies of Saturn's satellites Iapetus, Dione, and Enceladus; and characterize Titan's atmosphere and surface. The Huygens probe will dive into the murky atmosphere of Titan and land on its surface.
On July 1, 2004 the Cassini spacecraft threaded a gap between two of Saturn's rings and fired its main engine to reduce its speed, allowing it to be captured by Saturn's gravity and enter orbit. Cassini is expected to complete 74 orbits of the planet, 44 close flybys of the moon, Titan, and numerous flybys of Saturn's other icy moons during its four-year tour of the ringed planet.
Last updated: March 12, 2006.
