On July 1, 2004 the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft entered Saturn's orbit, beginning a four-year tour of the ringed planet, its enigmatic moons, the wonderful rings, and its complex magnetic environment.
During the tour, Cassini will complete 74 orbits of the ringed planet, 44 close flybys of its largest moon Titan, and many flybys of Saturn's other icy moons.
Key Dates
June 11, 2004: Flyby of the furthest moon orbiting Saturn, Phoebe, at an altitude of 2,000 km.
July 1, 2004: Crossing of Saturn's Ring Plane during the spacecraft's critical Saturn Orbit Insertion sequence.
Dec 25, 2004: Huygens probe separates from the Cassini spacecraft and begins its 21-day voyage to Titan. Dec 25 counts as day one and Jan 14 is day 21.
Jan 14, 2005: Huygens begins its descent through Titan's cloudy atmosphere, where it lands on the surface about two and half hours later. The probe is scheduled to encounter the upper fringes of Titan's atmosphere.
Other highlights of the Saturn tour include close encounters with Saturn's moons Enceladus, Titan, Hyperion, Dione, Rhea and Iapetus.
Upcoming Events
October 26, 2004: First close flyby of Titan.
December 25, 2004: Huygens probe separates from Cassini
January 14, 2005: Huygens descends into Titan's atmosphere.
August 1, 2005: Mimas flyby.
September 23, 2005: Tethys flyby.
September 25, 2005: Hyperion flyby.
October 10, 2005: Dione flyby.
November 25, 2005: Rhea flyby.
December 3, 2007: Epimetheus flyby.
Mission History
October 15, 1997: Cassini-Huygens launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
April 26, 1998: Cassini-Huygens flies by Venus, picking up a boost from the planet's gravity.
June 24, 1999: Cassini-Huygens flies by Venus again, getting another "gravity assist."
August 18, 1999: Cassini-Huygens gets a third heavenly push when it flies by Earth.
December 30, 2000: Cassini-Huygens flies by Jupiter, snapping photos and getting a final boost. With Galileo still orbiting the planet, it's the first time two spacecraft have explored the gas giant simultaneously.
June 11, 2004: Cassini flies by Saturn's moon Phoebe, finding evidence that the moon may be a frozen relic of a forgotten era, some four billion years ago.
Mission History
October 15, 1997: Cassini-Huygens launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
April 26, 1998: Cassini-Huygens flies by Venus, picking up a boost from the planet's gravity.
June 24, 1999: Cassini-Huygens flies by Venus again, getting another "gravity assist."
August 18, 1999: Cassini-Huygens gets a third heavenly push when it flies by Earth.
December 30, 2000: Cassini-Huygens flies by Jupiter, snapping photos and getting a final boost. With Galileo still orbiting the planet, it's the first time two spacecraft have explored the gas giant simultaneously.
June 11, 2004: Cassini flies by Saturn's moon Phoebe, finding evidence that the moon may be a frozen relic of a forgotten era, some four billion years ago.