NASA's Cassini spacecraft set to begin its final five ultra-close orbits around Saturn

NASA's Cassini spacecraft is set to begin its final five ultra-close orbits around Saturn, before the probe plunges into the atmosphere of the ringed planet and ends its epic 20-year-long journey.

The spacecraft will enter new territory in its



final mission phase, the Grand Finale, making the first of the five passes over Saturn on August 13. The spacecraft's point of closest approach to Saturn during these passes will be between about 1,630 and 1,710 kilometres above Saturn's cloud tops.