An Introduction to the Design of the Cassini Spacecraft

In October of 1997 NASA launched its largest interplanetary spacecraft to date. The Cassini spacecraft will arrive at Saturn in July of 2004 and begin a four year tour of that planetary system. After the spacecraft arrives it will separate into an orbiter and a probe. The Huygens Probe, developed by the European Space Agency, will follow a ballistic trajectory into the atmosphere of the moon Titan. The orbiter will relay signals received from the probe back to Earth and then begin the tour. This article provides an introduction to the design of the Cassini spacecraft. The major engineering functions of mechanical configuration, power generation and distribution, telecommunications, information system, pointing and course correction, and some other miscellaneous design features are discussed. A description of the engineering elements of the Huygens Probe is also provided.