Cassini: Mission to Saturn

Mission Clocks

Cassini launched in October 1997 and arrived at Saturn in July 2004. The end of the mission is set for September 15, 2017.

Did You Know?

The maximum speed clocked by Cassini was 98,346 mph (44 kilometers per second) relative to the sun on June 25, 1999.

Relative to Saturn, the spacecraft reached 68,771 mph (30.7 kilometers per second) during the Saturn Orbit Insertion maneuver on July 1, 2004.

With respect to Earth, the maximum speed reached by Cassini is 42,561 mph (19.0 kilometers per second) on Aug. 18, 1999, as the spacecraft flew past our home planet at an altitude of 727 miles (1,171 kilometers).

During the second Venus flyby, Cassini zoomed by the planet at 13.6 kilometers per second (30,523 mph) on June 24, 1999.

The spacecraft flew by Jupiter at a speed of 25,951 mph (11.6 kilometers per second) on Dec. 30, 2000.

By the way, Saturn's average orbital speed around the Sun is about 34,700 kilometers (21,561 miles) per hour.