On March 12, 2008, the Cassini probe made a close fly by of
Enceladus, one of Saturn's icy moons. At its closest, Cassini flew within 50 km (30 mi) from the moon's surface in order to fly through the icy geyser plumes coming out of the fractures on the moon's southern pole. On this fly by Cassini found volatile gases, water vapor, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, as well as organic materials, some 20 times denser than expected in the plumes.
Launched in October 1997, Cassini has been active for nearly 20 years and is set to complete its mission September 15, 2017, when the probe is scheduled to descend into Saturn's atmosphere, burning up in the process.