July 1, 2022
On this date in 2004, Cassini-Huygens became the first spacecraft to reach and orbit the planet Saturn. Approximately 6 months after reaching Saturn, the Huygens portion of the spacecraft was released and landed on Saturn’s moon Titan. Cassini continued to monitor Saturn and the surrounding system of rings and moons until 2017, where it was plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere.
To read more about Cassini-Huygens, visit: https://www.britannica.com/event/Cassini-Huygens
An artist’s interpretation of the Cassini-Huygens mission exploring the rings and atmosphere of Saturn. Image credit: NASA
