Project scientists from 17 countries erupted into wild cheers when Cassini signaled shortly after midnight EDT that it had completed a delicate 96-minute maneuver that required the truck-sized probe to dodge through Saturn's rings and sling itself into orbit.

Cassini, which traveled for seven years to reach Saturn, will spend at least the next four years studying the planet, its rings and some of its 31 known moons. Much of that time will be dedicated to Titan, one of the solar system's largest and most intriguing moons, with an atmosphere and composition that resemble a primordial Earth. "I can tell you it feels awfully good to be in orbit around the 'Lord of the Rings," Charles Elachi, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said at a press conference. The $3 billion mission has been hailed as a model for multinational space exploration. Cassini's key maneuver was the second international space success on Wednesday night. It came hours after astronauts from the International Space Station repaired a broken gyroscope during a space walk.