Nasa's Cassini spacecraft falls silent after dramatic plunge towards Saturn

One of the most successful space missions ever launched by Nasa has ended, becoming the first manmade object to pass between Saturn and its rings

Nasa's Cassini spacecraft has met its demise as it plunged into Saturn's atmosphere this morning where it was vaporised within minutes in a meteoric blaze.

The dramatic end of one the space agency's most successful missions was confirmed at just before 1pm UK time, as the signal from Cassini fell silent for the first time in 13 years.