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Earth sends Cassini a whole lot of love after the mission comes to a bittersweet end

Ya done good, Cassini. RIP.

Nicole Gallucci

on September 15, 2017

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

After 13 years of exploration, the Cassini spacecraft finally met its demise, hurtling itself into Saturn's atmosphere and burning up early Friday morning.

And as was expected, people everywhere are mourning the loss of the iconic mission.

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Over the years, the mission — which first launched in 1997 — provided human eyes with stunning images of Saturn, extended insight into the planet and nearby moons, and a greater understanding of the overall solar system.

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Though no one wanted to see the impactful joint operation between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency end, the crash was planned for fear that the spacecraft would run into and harm potentially habitable moons.

After mission managers announced at around 7:55 a.m. ET on Friday that Cassini was finished, fans of the mission bid it farewell and reflected on the bittersweet end.

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Ya done good, Cassini. RIP.

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Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.