Cassini also discovered six new moons and two new rings of Saturn. The elder Cassini's health and eyesight began to deteriorate in 1709, and by 1711 he was almost completely blind. Loss of contact with the Cassini spacecraft took place on Sept. 15 at 7:55:46 a.m. EDT (4:55:46 a.m. PDT). Cassini… He died in Paris on Sept. 14, 1712. In July 2008 Cassini’s mission was extended to 2010, and in February 2010 it was extended for another seven years. Last September, Cassini was sent to its death by falling into Saturn. NASA's Cassini spacecraft made its final approach to Saturn and dove into the planet’s atmosphere on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. Cassini Spacecraft Ends Its Historic Exploration of Saturn. NASA's Cassini spacecraft is back in contact with Earth after its successful first-ever dive through the narrow gap between the planet Saturn and its rings. September 15, 2017: End of Mission as Cassini begins Final Entry into Saturn's Atmosphere. NASA crashed the $4 billion Cassini spacecraft into Saturn. This extreme measure was decided on even after the spacecraft discovered a liquid water ocean on Enceladus. Cassini’s radar mapped much of Titan’s surface and found large lakes of liquid methane.