On Oct. 15, 1997, NASA launched the Cassini spacecraft on a mission to explore Saturn and its moons. [‘On This Day in Space’ Video Series on Space.com](https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html)

It took almost 7 years for Cassini to reach Saturn. Another smaller spacecraft called Huygens hitched a ride with Cassini, and it was dropped off at Saturn's moon Titan in 2005. Cassini spent 13 years studying the Saturn system up close, and the mission lasted about 20 years before coming to an epic grand finale on Sept. 15, 2017. Running low on fuel, NASA chose to steer Cassini straight into Saturn's atmosphere, where the spacecraft was destroyed.