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The Cassini spacecraft crashed into Saturn, ending a successful 20-year mission

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September 15, 2017 at 11:45 a.m. EDT
NASA's Cassini spacecraft made its final approach to Saturn on Sept. 15 before it plunged into the planet's atmosphere. (Video: Reuters)

PASADENA, Calif. — NASA scientists just received their last message from the Cassini spacecraft, which plunged into Saturn early Friday morning. Those final bits of data signal the end of one of the most successful planetary science missions in history.

“The signal from the spacecraft is gone and within the next 45 seconds so will be the spacecraft,” program manager Earl Maize reported from mission control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, just after 4:55 a.m. local time. “This has been an incredible mission, an incredible spacecraft, and you're all an incredible team.”