NASA’S Cassini spacecraft sends first images from Saturn rings dive

1,900 miles of Saturn’s cloud tops during its epic dive and within about 200 miles of the innermost visible edge of the rings, according to NASA.

Cassini will make a total of 22 dives between Saturn and its rings as part of the orbiter’s so-called ‘Grand Finale’. Its next dive is scheduled for May 2.

The spacecraft has generated a trove of scientific data on Saturn and its moons during its mission. Earlier this month, for example, NASA announced that Saturn’s moon Enceladus could support life thanks to the discovery of hydrogen.

After almost two decades in space, the orbiter’s mission will end on September 15, 2017 when Cassini is scheduled to crash into Saturn.

The Cassini mission began on October 15, 1997 when the spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a Titan Ivb/centaur rocket. Cassini arrived at Saturn in 2004.

NASA is partnering with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency on the Cassinihuygens mission. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of Caltech, manages the mission for NASA’S Science Mission Directorate.