R.I.P. Cassini

After 20 years, nearly 300 orbits and pioneering discoveries, the spacecraft plunges to its death in Saturn’s atmosphere

Illustration of Cassini's death

BLAZE OF GLORY  Cassini burned up like a comet above Saturn’s cloud tops just before 5 a.m. PDT on September 15. This artist’s illustration shows what it may have looked like.

JPL-Caltech/NASA

PASADENA, Calif.