@interstellarspac: 🚀 September 15, 2017 — nine years ago today, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft ended one of the most successful missions in planetary exploration. After nearly 20 years in space and 13 years studying Saturn, Cassini entered the planet’s atmosphere on its final trajectory. Cassini continued transmitting scientific data as it plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere. The spacecraft was deliberately destroyed because NASA wanted to prevent it from accidentally contaminating potentially habitable moons such as Enceladus and Titan. ⸻ 📡 At 11:55:46 UTC, Cassini’s signal was lost. The spacecraft then disintegrated as it descended deeper into Saturn’s atmosphere, bringing its mission to an end. ⸻ 🌌 Cassini transformed our understanding of the Saturn system. During its mission, it discovered active water-rich plumes erupting from Enceladus, explored Titan’s methane-rich environment, studied Saturn’s rings, and revealed an enormous amount about the planet and its moons.

Our universe

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Wednesday 16 September 2026 06:12:06 GMT