Cassini was intentionally plunged into Saturn on September 15, 2017.
The Cassini spacecraft ended its nearly 20-year mission by entering Saturn's atmosphere during the mission's “Grand Finale.” Flight controllers deliberately destroyed it rather than risk an uncontrolled future impact with moons such as Enceladus or Titan, where environments potentially suitable for life might exist.
Before the finale, Cassini made 22 daring passes between Saturn and the innermost edge of its rings. Those orbits produced close measurements of the planet's gravity, atmosphere and rings and returned some of the mission's most detailed images. On its final descent, Cassini transmitted data until atmospheric drag overwhelmed the spacecraft.
Cassini launched in 1997 and reached Saturn in 2004. It was a NASA, European Space Agency and Italian Space Agency mission; its Huygens probe landed on Titan in 2005. Pioneer 11 and Voyager 1 also visited Saturn, but neither was deliberately sent into the planet.