An image of the Cassini spacecraft.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of NASA

Cassini is Off!
News story originally written on October 16, 1997

Cassini is on its way to Saturn. It will take Cassini over 6 years to get to Saturn. Cassini was launched on a Titan rocket early in the morning on October 15, 1997.

The Cassini probe is one of the biggest spacecraft ever launched. It is two stories tall and weighs more than six tons!

Many countries have helped with this mission. There are 16 countries that have contributed to the project. The total cost of the mission is over 3 billion dollars.

By studying Saturn, scientists hope to learn more about the solar system that is Earth's home.

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