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Cassini Mission Timeline

An artist's rendition of the Cassini spacecraft approaching Saturn and its rings. The glint of light behind the magnetometer boom at the bottom of the spacecraft represents the reflection of the sun.

Cassini Enters Saturn System: May 18, 2004

The gravitational pull of Saturn begins to overtake the influence of the sun, and Cassini falls toward the massive gas giant. At just the right moment, the spacecraft fires its main rocket engine to slow down. Instead of whizzing by, the spacecraft is supposed to become trapped in the planet's orbit.

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