Name: The Cassini Spacecraft's Final Moments
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NASA's Cassini explored Saturn for over a decade, making incredible discoveries about its rings, storms, and moons. Here are the spacecraft's final moments.

Cassini plunges into Saturn, marking the end of its 13-year mission.

The Cassini Spacecraft's final moments

Cassini Spacecraft's final moments

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NASA's Cassini explored Saturn for over a decade, making incredible discoveries about its rings, storms, and moons. Relive the spacecraft's last moments.

Cassini plunges into Saturn, marking the end of its 13-year mission.

The Cassini Spacecraft's Final Moments

Space & Flight

The Cassini Spacecraft's Final MomentsPublished: August 9, 2019Narrator: Cassini survives its approach to Saturn intact and continues on towards its demise.Michele Dougherty: We were out at JPL watching the signal come in from the spacecraft and there was a spike. Leigh Fletcher: And it went away but it seemed to come back.Dougherty: Because the spacecraft hadn’t been told its life was ending and so it had been programmed to keep in touch with the Earth, and so it moved itself. Control voice: Can we call loss of signal at 115546?Fletcher: The last command that my colleagues uploaded to the spacecraft was a list of the 200 or some scientists and engineers that had been involved in the development of one of the instruments, which means that as Cassini was literally disintegrating, in its computer memory was a final thought of home. And I think that's just a tremendous, tremendous thing.Control voice: We've just heard the signal from the spacecraft has gone and have, within the next 45 seconds, so will be the spacecraft.Dougherty: And then it lost control, it began to tumble and that was it. Narrator: The world that had has born witness to some of the greatest dramas in the solar system’s history consumes the craft that has given us its remarkable story.Control voice: Congratulations to you all.Julie Webster: I was supposed to call ‘end of mission. Thanks, and God speed Cassini.’ I couldn’t get the words out.Fletcher: And there was some applause but mostly people just...Carl Murray: People were just kind of looking at each other. It was, it was so sad. Really, really sad.Fletcher: It’s still hard.

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The Cassini Spacecraft's final moments

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Amazing Discoveries from Cassini

The Planets: Saturn

Farewell, Cassini

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Explore More

Amazing Discoveries from Cassini

The Planets: Saturn

Farewell, Cassini