Cassini will continue to communicate with Earth until it loses connection with home, giving scientists one last chance to explore Saturn before its fiery demise.
The probe is expected to send back its last communiques and pictures of the planet just before 9am BST (4am EDT), before the radio waves go silent. All contact will then be lost around 12.55pm BST (7.55am EDT).
Because the whole operation is costing the space agency over £2.4 billion ($3.6 billion), Nasa is determined to utilise it to its full potential.
“It’s like getting a whole new mission,” said Linda Spilker, Cassini’s project scientist.
“The scientific value of the F ring and Grand Finale orbits is so compelling that you could imagine a whole mission to Saturn designed around what we’re about to do.”
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