Huygens was an atmospheric entry probe that landed successfully on Saturn's moon Titan in 2005. Built and operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), it was part of the Cassini–Huygens mission and became the first spacecraft ever to land on Titan. The probe was named after the Dutch 17th-century astronomer Christiaan Huygens,[1] who discovered Titan in 1655.

The combined Cassini–Huygens spacecraft was launched from Earth on October 15, 1997.[1] Huygens separated from the Cassini orbiter on December 25, 2004, and landed on Titan on January 14, 2005 near the Xanadu region.[2] This was the first landing ever accomplished in the outer solar system.[3] It touched down on land, although the possibility that it would touch down in an ocean was also taken into account in its design. The probe was designed to gather data for a few hours in the atmosphere, and possibly a short time at the surface. It continued to send data for about 90 minutes after touchdown. It remains the most distant landing of any man-made craft.

Operator ESA/ASI
Major contractors Aérospatiale, now Thales Alenia Space
Mission type Lander
Launch date December 25, 2004
Launch vehicle Cassini orbiter
Satellite of Saturn
COSPAR ID 1997-061C