NASA Cassini Spacecraft

German scientists analysing Cassini data find complex organic molecules in Enceladus' plumes, raising hopes that its hidden ocean could support life beyond Earth

Here are a variety of space missions worth keeping tabs on over the next decade or so

Cassini discovered new moons around Saturn, found evidence for an ocean below the surface of the moon Enceladus and even managed to land a probe on the satellite Titan

The Cassini mission gave scientists an unprecedented view of the sixth planet from the Sun

Cassini's final bonanza of data, transmitted as weak radio signals, will take 83 minutes to travel 1.5 billion km at the speed of light to reach the giant dish antennas in Canberra

The spacecraft's fateful dive is the final beat in the mission's Grand Finale, 22 weekly dives, which began in late April, through the gap between Saturn and its rings

Soon after, Cassini will burn up and disintegrate like a meteor, Nasa said in a statement

However, before contact is lost, eight of Cassini's 12 science instruments will be operating

Image captures unilluminated side of rings from about seven degrees below the ring plane