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Where is the Cassini spacecraft’s final dive path around Saturn?

AstronomyPlanetary missions

Quick Answer

Cassini’s final plunge ended in Saturn’s atmosphere after repeated orbits through the gap between Saturn and its rings.

The Full Story

Cassini did not end on the surface of a moon; its mission concluded with a deliberate plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere on 15 September 2017. Before that, it had spent years orbiting Saturn and making close passes through the gap between the planet and its rings. The end-of-mission trajectory prevented any risk of contaminating potentially habitable moons such as Enceladus or Titan. Cassini’s final data came from just above Saturn’s cloud tops.

Key Facts

1.Final plunge on 15 September 2017
2.Mission orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017
3.End avoided contamination of icy moons

YouTube Angle

Suggested video title for this topic:

"Where a spacecraft made its last dive into Saturn"