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Cassini–Huygens (/ kəˈsiːni ˈhɔɪɡənz / kə-SEE-nee HOY-gənz), commonly called Cassini, was a space-research mission by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to send a space probe to study the planet Saturn and its system, including its rings and natural satellites.
Cassini was a sophisticated robotic spacecraft sent to study Saturn and its complex system of rings and moons in unprecedented detail. It was one of the most ambitious efforts ever mounted in planetary exploration.
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 carried a probe called Huygens to the Saturn system. The probe, which was built by ESA, parachuted to the surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, in January 2005—the most distant landing to date in our solar system.
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft and ESA’s Huygens probe expanded our understanding of the kinds of worlds where life might exist. + more With discoveries at Saturn’s moons Enceladus and Titan , Cassini and Huygens made exploring “ocean worlds” a major focus of planetary science.
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft and ESA’s Huygens probe expanded our understanding of the kinds of worlds where life might exist and eight more reasons the mission changed the course of planetary exploration.
The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft beamed back information and pictures after successfully skimming the hazy atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan. The spacecraft came within 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) of Titan's surface.
The Cassini spacecraft releases the European Space Agency-built Huygens probe at Saturn's moon Titan.
Cassini was one of the largest and most complex interplanetary spacecraft ever, weighing in at 5,600 kilograms (12,300 pounds) at launch. That included 32.7 kilograms (72 pounds) of plutonium to power the spacecraft and its instruments.
The mission consisted of the U.S. 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.