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 the Cassini spacecraft over 6 years to get to Saturn. Cassini was launched on a rocket early in the morning on October 15.

The Cassini spacecraft is a big spacecraft. It is as tall as a two story building and it weighs more than six tons!

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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