A white triangle with a blue inner border. In the middle is a round, grey lump, with a red swoosh wrapped around it. An object with wings hovers over the lump on its top left. Underneath this scene, is the mission name, and underneath that is a brief description of it.

OSIRIS-REx

Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer

active Mission

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In-Depth

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Why Study Bennu?

2023 Sample Delivery updates

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OSIRIS-REx is the first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid. It returned to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023, to drop off material from asteroid Bennu. The spacecraft didn't land, but continued on to a new mission, OSIRIS-APEX, to explore asteroid Apophis. Meanwhile, scientists hope the Bennu sample OSIRIS-REx dropped into the Utah desert will offer clues to whether asteroids colliding with Earth billions of years ago brought water and other key ingredients for life here.

Mission Type

Sample Return

Destination

Asteroid Bennu

sample DELIVERED

Sept. 24, 2023

Objective

Collect asteroid sample and deliver it to Earth

Overview

Launched on Sept. 8, 2016, the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, spacecraft traveled to a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu (formerly 1999 RQ36) and collected a sample of rocks and dust from the surface. 

The spacecraft delivered the sample to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. It released the capsule holding pieces of Bennu over Earth’s atmosphere. The capsule parachuted to the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range, where the OSIRIS-REx team was waiting to retrieve it.

This mission will help scientists investigate how planets formed and how life began, as well as improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.

OSIRIS-REx Blog Posts

A silver capsule is opened inside a glovebox surrounded by technicians gowned in blue protective suits

Initial Curation of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Sample

The initial curation process for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx  sample of asteroid Bennu is moving slower than anticipated, but for the best reason: the sample runneth over. 

A silver capsule is opened inside a glovebox surrounded by technicians gowned in blue protective suits

The OSIRIS-REx Sample Canister Lid is Removed

NASA scientists found dark powder and sand-sized particles on the avionics deck of the OSIRIS-REx science canister when the initial lid was removed today.

A metal box is strapped to the floor of an aircraft holding the

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Capsule Arrives in Houston

The first U.S. asteroid sample, delivered by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to Earth on Sept. 24, has arrived at its permanent home at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it will be cared for, stored, and distributed to scientists worldwide.  

Explore OSIRIS-APEX

OSIRIS-APEX, a follow-on to OSIRIS-REx, will study the physical changes to asteroid Apophis after the asteroid’s rare close encounter with Earth in 2029.

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