The Cassini Orbiter was developed by NASA and is one of the largest, heaviest, and most complex interplanetary spacecraft ever built.

After the Saturn Orbit Insertion on 1 July 2004, the spacecraft has examined the Saturn system with twelve different scientific instruments. At the end of 2004 the European Huygens Probe was separated from the Orbiter and landed on Saturn's satellite Titan. The Cassini Orbiter examines the planet Saturn itself, its rings, Titan and the other icy satellites, the magnetic field and the plasma environment.

Cassini's nominal mision lasted from 2004 until 2008 and was followed by the so-called equinox mission until 2010. Another mission extension was granted by NASA due to the many new scientific results this flagship mission has provided. The Cassini solstice mission phase should last from 2010 until 2017. This long-term monitoring will enable Cassini to investigate seasonal changes of Saturn's atmosphere and magnetosphere (one Saturnian year lasts 29,5 Earth years).

IWF scientists participate in the Cassini/RPWS team and have developed and carried out routines for the calibration of the RPWS antennas and take part in data analysis.

Further information on Cassini can be found at NASA.